#not quite ten paragraphs sorry | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

crazyoffher · 7 months

Text

COLLAPSE IN THE KEY OF FIREWORKS.

lorraine day x fem!reader

summary: growing up in rural texas circa 1979 wouldn't have been so hard if you didn't have an attraction to your best friend.

warnings: eventual smut. - mentions of homophobia, canine injury, religion / religious rebellion, paragraph mention of suicide (in a joking manner), umm that's it i think.

word amount: 4100+

a/n: not really sure how i feel about this. sorry for the long wait </3

You loved her, and you wanted to express it more than anything in the world, even if it meant being condemned to the sins your father warned you of.

You wanted her, and the feeling was more than likewise, but you just couldn’t have her.

The realization did not take you forever to realize—your feelings for her, anyway. You knew that you wanted to drown in her gaze, love, smile, and soul the day you laid eyes on her in the back of that stone-cold silver pickup truck. It was a present given to your brother, the eldest, from your father the day he had completed his required service as a missionary, and the first thing that hick-of-a-man did was throw you over his shoulder and hurl you in the back bed.

You were twelve then, lonely as can be during the summertime, before that adorable girl with a voice sweeter than anything you ever tasted crashing down into your life, quite literally.

“Holy shit!” The truck stopped abruptly, and you had to hoist yourself to the far edge of the railings to prevent yourself from flying. You cursed under your breath the words your father would smack you day and night for if said out loud, shaking your head while jumping out of the back to see your brother fast out of the driver's seat, crouching down in the front of the truck.

“The heck did you do, Aziel? Burrow over a rock, ‘cause you know Daddy will kill you if you’ve already scratched this masterpiece.”

“Not no rock, no, but a dog. Cute one at that; I’m so sorry for this.” He spoke solemnly, and you found his frame hunched over as you cornered the truck's front, petting the head of a dog that

whined in pain. “Come on, little miss. I’ll take him to the hospital for ‘ya, just join this devil’s spawn in the bed,” he pointed to you, though your eyes were glued to the dog, “and we’ll be there in no time, alright?”

“Okay,” and it was that saccharine tone that caught your ears, head perked up to lock your gaze on a girl, quite the small one for the age that matched yours, with cute little freckles spread out across her cheeks and her eyebrows furrowed. Concern laced her voice, and her face too, for the dog that you assumed to be her pet, and you felt bad for the girl that made your heart flutter instantly at just the sight of her.

She wore shorts that rode just to the edge of her knees and a tight white top tucked inward. Your father would have dealt you well for even thinking of such an unwomanlike outfit, contrasting her choice of clothing to your pink skirt and fitted light-blue long-sleeve, your denim jacket hanging over you loosely that you clung to when the winds picked up. The girl was beauty in a jar, if that even made any sense, and you knew from the start that you wanted nobody else but her.

“Here, hold off for just one second,” you warned the girl with a tight expression, being sent a nod as your hands clung to the metal of the bed’s railings, hoisting yourself up greatly to get yourself over and into the open space. You turned the knob and let the bed’s opening fly down, lending a hand to the girl with an injured dog cradled in her arms, to which she joined you on the bed with the utmost struggle.

“I’m sorry about him, by the way." The girl’s head perked up at your voice, a bit gruff from a sickness that seemed to loom over you. “My brother. He hasn’t always been the brightest, and I’ve been juggling in my mind for the past ten minutes or so about why my Daddy decided to gift him a darn truck.”

A small smile etched her face at your words, her hand mindlessly petting the dog cradled in her arms, and a sort of glint in her eyes that you seemed to pass over. God damn, did you still hate yourself to this day for how awkward you grew to be in that moment, failing to make direct eye contact with the girl who wanted nothing but her small ‘ol doggie to be well.

Your eyes subtly lingered over her shirt, stopping abruptly at the crimson-colored stains that donned the fabric with hatred. The girl was more than aware of the stains—she could feel her shirt melting into her—but she could have cared less at that moment when her canine, whom she loved more than herself, was itching and writhing in pain.

“Here,” you got up from your spot against the metal railings, kneeling in the middle of the bed, to the girl’s confusion. “Getting stains on that shirt, yeah? Wrap this over ‘em,” and in front of her, resting in your hands, was the denim jacket that you always wore, stolen from your brother the day he left town, and with no intentions of returning it upon his arrival.

A small “thank you” left those chewed-up lips of hers, bitten and torn from her stressful mind that hoped for her dog to be alright, and you know you’d be getting on Aziel after the situation had died down and the girl was long gone. Long gone, you hoped she wouldn’t be, because you hadn’t seen a face as pretty as hers in your short lifetime, and you didn’t want to imagine how long it would be until you saw it again.

Sooner or later on that breezy day, you found yourself perched on a chair in the waiting room of an animal hospital, feet swinging to the soft guitarra tunes mixed with solid tapping noises from beside you. The girl had her finger curled, her nail hitting the wooden armrest of the chair and scratching it ever so lightly, seemingly in need of taking her mind somewhere else.

Aziel was elsewhere, outside in a small payphone box that would trigger anyone’s claustrophobia, the dirty black-wired phone clinging to his ear while his head was drawn back; you could only assume he was growing tired of your father's voice through the transmitter, berating him for his reckless actions. You almost felt bad for him.

“What if he’s dead?”

That sweet, worried voice tore you away from your brother's frame, turning to face the new-found girl whose eyes bore into your face, tears brimming at the edges of her eyes just at the thought of it, and your heart sank.

“That’s no way to think, uh..."

“Lorraine.” She answered simply, eyes never tearing from yours, and you grew mildly uncomfortable at the continuous staring. You didn’t hate it—no, of course not—but you weren’t accustomed to having a pretty girl stare at you like that.

“Well, Lorraine,” you managed to turn your head away from her, resting them back on your brother’s frame, his posture slumping as time went on. “I love him to death—my brother, I mean—but oh,” your eyebrows raised, and your breath hitched when you felt a cool, soft palm brushing over yours on the wooden armrest, knowing the girl was only ever looking for comfort.

You finished your sentence with a new-found shake in your voice. “I’ll kill that son of a bitch.”

Before Lorraine could reply, the door where the veterinarian had previously taken her dog opened, and you surprised yourself at how quickly you rose from your seat. Lorraine gave you a look before standing up as well, sighing in the utmost relief when her eyes laid on her dog wrapped in a blanket, his chest heaving up and down to signal that he was alive.

"Oh, thank God!” Your head twisted to see Aziel at the front entrance, and his head hung in relief at the living animal. “I was going to bury myself in deprivation if that cute ‘ol thing died.”

“There would have been no need for you to bury yourself because I would have gotten to your Bible-praising ass before you could even shed a tear.” You barked, and Lorraine paused a second of her relief to react, a small smile etching her face at your words of protection.

“You better watch that mouth, sissy, because Dad would rip you a new one if he were to find out.” He threatened though you waved him off; he was all talk, managing to tick off every nerve that held patience within you whenever he pleased, and you still held shock in the back of your mind whenever you’d admit you couldn’t live without him and his childish attitude.

“He’s going to need care. He has two ankle fractures and stitches on his back that you ought to watch out for to make sure he doesn’t bite at them.” Lorraine and Aziel were the only two to listen to the veterinarian, while your mind took you elsewhere; the sun had gone down by then, as it had been over two hours since the truck-dog massacre, and you were sure Lorraine’s parents were concerned about her whereabouts.

“We should probably get her home now, yeah?” You had proposed after the veterinarian had retreated and the small dog rested in Lorraine’s arms, earning a nod from Aziel, who seemed to collect in his mind that Lorraine had a family that she needed to return to, pulling keys from his pocket and ushering the two of you out.

You settled in the backseats of the truck, finding it dangerous enough to ride in the bed, while Aziel got cozy in his driver seat. “Where do you live, girl?”

“The east.” Both you and Aziel turned your heads at her answer, seeing as the two of you resided in the North—hell, you picked her and her dog up in the North—before Aziel questioned her. “Ya positive? What were you doing out here in the North?”

“We were heading to a relative’s house, and my Daddy needed some gas; his truck stopped in the middle of a dirt road because the thing was empty, and he told me to go up to a gas station that was about five minutes out to ask for a gallon. Told me to take Atticus here too,” she said, bending her head down to kiss her dog on the forehead. “They ain’t give it to me, and I was on my way back when..."

Aziel visibly cringed at the remembrance, and he gave Lorraine one last look of sorrow before turning in his seat, cranking on the engine, and setting off east. “So, what? Your parents are worried sick now that you’ve been gone for hours, yeah?”

“Guess so. Daddy’s always been protective of me, calling me his little girl and telling me to always stick by him, but he needed to watch the truck, and I guess he figured Atticus would be enough protection.” Your eyes trailed to the dog in her arms, and you tried to understand how her father could think a dog that small could protect her. “God, he’s never going to let me out of his eyesight ever again.”

“I wouldn’t either if I were him.” Aziel’s grip on the wheel was harsh, his eyes searching the road every second to keep watch of anything. “His little girl ain’t come back; I’d think you were kidnapped.”

The rest of the ride was silent after that, disregarding Lorraine’s soft coos to her drowsy pup when he eventually woke, and you could see Aziel’s hands shake when the truck grew closer to the home address Lorraine had previously given. “Your fault.”

Your voice rang when you pushed yourself up to whisper in his ear, his hand finding your chest to push you back in your seat and away from him. Soon enough, the truck came to a stop outside of a house—a ranch, to your surprise—with a man in a cowboy hat and tucked flannel top sitting on the porch, clearly in distress, while a woman sat right beside him.

Before Lorraine could open the truck door, you put a hand on her shoulder to stop her, and she turned to you with curiosity in her eyes. “Do you think—uh?" Your voice caught in your throat, searching for the right words, while Lorraine had a small smile tug at her lips. “Uh, what’s your house number? The phone number, I mean, to the house. You know, how every house has a phone number because there’s a house phone in every-”

Her voice cut you off, and you could only thank the night sky for covering your reddened cheeks. “82-97, 500.” She gave you a sweet smile before turning the door handle, letting herself out while continuing, “First three numbers are the state code!” and shutting the door, soon embracing her worried father's arms.

When you returned home, you were instructed to sleep in your room while Aziel was forced into the living room, and the numbers recited from Lorraine repeated in your head as you trudged up the stairs, ignoring the shouts of your father toward your missionary brother.

“5…2…9—no! 8…2…9,” you scratched the numbers on a blank piece of paper in ink, "7, 500."

You were lost in your thoughts, trying to accumulate the state code numbers from far in your mind to let the sound of footsteps become known to you, and before you knew it, your mother was standing in front of you with her hands settled on her hips. “I thought I told you to go to sleep, (Y/N)! Stop whatever it is that you’re writing, read off your nightly verse, and go to sleep!”

That day was one you could never forget. It was the day you met your best friend, your teenage-long crush, and also the day you got to ride in a truck bed for the first time. Lorraine’s father, to his continuing demise that you refuse to call him anything other than Mr. Day, was more than reluctant to let Lorraine out of the house after the incident, but your natural charm didn’t take long for him to put trust in you—that you’d take care of his little girl—and soon enough, you were forcing Aziel to drive you down east every weekend to go hang out with the girl that clouded your every thought.

Your feelings toward her never mattered anyway, right? She certainly never felt the same toward you, or so you thought. You knew that the trajectory of two girls together would never be accepted in the eyes of your parents, in the eyes of your church, and in the eyes of the man whose verses you read in a book every night and whose practices forced and consumed your everyday life.

Soon enough, it started to concern your parents as to why you hadn’t found a lover at the growing age of seventeen, having overheard a conversation between them one night about the possibility of lining up suitors, shocking you to the very core. So when the next boy came around, annoying you more than life itself at your school locker before popping the question, “Can I take you on a date?” You could only swallow your pride with a choked-out, "Yes,” leaving your lips before scurrying away.

That relationship didn’t last long—maybe three months—before you had enough of his continuous attempts to shaft his hand into your pants. You ended your relationship with him after a dull day at the state fair, and he could only accept reality after being knocked out by Lorraine after attempting to assault you in a bathroom stall.

The day after, you sealed in place your love for the girl. How could you say anything to her, though? Express your feelings and get something out of her besides rejection—a scenario that you deem impossible. The internal battle kept you up at night, and deciding not to fight it any longer, you forced Aziel to drive you up to Lorraine’s ranchhouse on a cool Friday night.

You probably should have just stayed home, because that would have temporarily avoided the heartbreak words that left her mouth after you had settled in her room. They were not ones of rejection.

“I have a boyfriend!”

“What?” The words came out of a nervous impulse, your face falling to sadness. That went unnoticed by Lorraine, whose face had lit up in excitement at finally being able to tell you. “Yes! His name is RJ, and he’s in my film studies class. He’s so sweet, charming, and so nice, (Y/N)!”

If only Mr. Day had shotgun bullets pre-equipped in the barrels, you would have taken yourself down to the garage, where the weapon lay, and shot yourself without another word. You felt sick, and you felt sicker when that fateful day came around the next week when you had to meet the boy she raved about.

Boy, did that only make you question your self-dignity? He looked to be eighteen going on thirty-five, and you bathed in anger at the way Lorraine looked up at him with such admiration glistening in her dark-brown eyes. You yearned for that look.

Then, alas, the day you waited for came eight months later.

You had accompanied Lorraine and RJ with your “boyfriend”, Danny, who in reality was just playing along to the toy game of you and him being either’s significant others, benefiting you for hiding your true identity and for Danny’s mother to get off his back about never having a woman by his side.

You had a limp in your leg, trying your utmost hardest to recover from the death trap that was the spinning teacups, berating yourself for trusting Danny to not send the two of you spinning like a couple of toy fidgets. In the end, his actions were limited to himself, and to keep himself upright as his head spun as quickly as he did, he tightened his hold on your shoulder.

The sky was fading to darkness, reminding you of the upcoming end of your day, but you couldn’t think about that when you heard the deafening cries of a girl sounding in your range, a cry that you knew all too well.

“You hear that?” Danny plugged a finger in his ear, fidgeting around the canal with the assumption that his mind was getting the best of him. “Get your finger outta your ear, will ya?” You put a hand to his forearm, yanking the limb to the side with a slouchy cry from the darning boy. “You made me scratch my ear!”

You only hushed him with the sound growing louder as if it were heading toward the two of you. It took a one-eighty to find the source of the problem, coming face to face with a crying Lorraine headed in your pathway at a directionally fast pace, no intention of stopping set in her quick feet as salty tears dribbled down her cheeks.

You held the girl without question when she crashed into you, burying her face in your chest with a mighty clutch to Danny’s—secretly yours—leather jacket, and your heart broke at the sight of her in such a distraught state. Why was she crying? Where was RJ? Was he the cause of her crestfallen shadow?

But you couldn’t pester her with questions; no, that would be irresponsible of you and rid you of all the mannerisms you were forced to learn growing up. You turned to Danny with a solemn look on your face; he was already looking back at you with a sense of confusion laced in his furrowed eyebrows, and you wordlessly cocked your head to the side to give him a signal of your temporary departure.

He shook his head, headed in the other direction with a slight pat on Lorraine’s shoulder, and you drove the other girl in the silenced direction of haystacks originally laid out to be used as sitting stations. However, nobody at the fair seemed to pay any mind to the location. Her crying never let down, sobbing in her hands while you rubbed her back in comfort.

It was only when she finally came down from her teary state that you carried the question, “What happened?” When she looked at you, your reassuring smile fell, analyzing her furrowed eyebrows and narrowed, red eyes, which made you wonder if she was agitated at your question. Should you not have asked?

Her staring never faltered; it looked as if she were analyzing you—your face, to be precise—and your breathing grew heavier as your mind grew less shallow at the impending thoughts that infiltrated your mind. “Raine, I’m dearly sorry if I said somethin’ wrong. I’m just worri-”

“Shut it.” Her voice came out in a whisper, and like a trained dog to its commander, your lips were sealed. Lorraine’s tone was cracked, weary, and dried out from all the crying she had endured not moments before, but now she had formed into a new human. If it weren’t for her reddened eyes, stuffy nose, and pinkish ears, you wouldn’t have had a clue she was in a former tainted state, and there before you, her pupils scanned you all over. Like… if you were someone she hadn’t recognized for years beyond that point, as if you were a whole new person to her.

You had no idea what thoughts circled in her mind at that moment, and if you did, you might have burst.

“I’m not crying because of RJ.”

“Then why are you-”

“I said shut it.” Your lips sealed once more, obedient to Lorraine’s words in the same way you had always been. It was never like you had anything better to say, anyway.

“I broke up with him, but that’s not why I was crying. I was scared of the truth ‘cause it’s nothing but wrong in other eyes, and I’ve always wanted to perfect myself in the eyes of myself and others. Now, I can’t.” You could see from your peripherals that her hands were shaky, fiddling with one another, and her mind was a swarm of second questioning. She couldn’t go back by then, though.

“I don’t think I ever liked RJ entirely. I feel bad about it all ‘cause I think I was just using him to cover up my truth.” Lorraine’s eyes had flickered off of yours for a moment, eyeing her fidgety hands before looking back toward you with a different glint in her eyes. You had never been more confused in life than then, and you wanted nothing more than to question her for miles ahead.

“I think this entire time, I’ve loved someone else.” To your oblivious mind, you couldn’t pick up the secretism behind her words or that glint in her eyes, and your heart broke at the idea of Lorraine finding attraction to another man, another person that wasn’t you.

“What’s his name?”

The corner twitches of Lorraine’s lips vanished, and the gleam that once filled her eyes left to form confusion before realization. “God damn it, (Y/N)!” She pushed herself back with a huff, and it was then that you recognized how close she had been toward you.

“What?”

Lorraine gave another large breath, filled to the brim with annoyance. “What? What? I had this entire thing planned out since last month, just for you to not understand it!”

“Understand what? Raine, you’re really confusin’ me he-” But you couldn’t finish your sentence when something was blocking your lips from moving—more noticeably, someone—and you didn’t move. You didn’t kiss her back, no, but it wasn’t because you didn’t want to. You dreamt of this moment every night, and you didn’t fucking move.

The three second reign it took for Lorraine to register that you had frozen in place rushed her out of her tranced state, the ecstasy coursing through her to finally feel your lips on hers. Her former relaxation and calmness at the ability to finally let her feelings out turned to fright. Did she just ruin a friendship with someone she labeled her lifeline because of her stupid, homosexual thoughts that she figured you would reciprocate?

“(Y/N), uhm, I-” But she couldn’t finish her sentence either, because, like you, there was someone blocking her lips from moving. That fright, the one that her body turned to, disappeared just as quickly as it settled in, and she sighed in relief as she wrapped her arms around your shoulder to bring you in closer. That feeling she felt in her stomach was something she had never felt kissing RJ or any other boy, and man, did it feel fucking amazing.

“Just- just one thing, Raine.” Your voice came in a hushed whisper, moving forward to rest your forehead against the girl you claimed to be your whole word. “Yeah?”

“We ain’t gonna tell nobody about this, ‘cause you know we can’t.”

That was the truth, one that broke both of your hearts. “I know.”

☟

taglist: @grandpatrolnut @annalestern @rhythm-catsandwine @yara124 @daryldixonsw1fe @alexkolax @red1culous @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @n0vabug @idkwimdtbh @yolehiho @likefirenrain @ctrlamira @lovelyy-moonlight @dunohilly @jjsmaybank20 @xzennypennyx @mfd-101

(all tagged are from the list that are originally tagged in jenna content. if you don’t want to be tagged in lorraine cont. please let me know!)

345 notes · View notes

thesoleilla · 4 months

Note

I've seen your work on Chuuya x Reader, and it's so sweet. Could you do the Chuuya comforting reader who is very afraid of going to the doctor? The reader is stubborn and still doesn't want to go to the doctor, but Chuuya still insists on bringing her to a doctor, and maybe he uses a little bit of force. Thank you.

But I don't wanna go to the doctor! Chuuya x Reader

Masterlist

A/N: God this is old, picked it up like a year after, sorry I swear I'll work on my requests...someday

"This was pretty darn good, wasn't it?" Chuuya said, as you both left the movie theater

"Yeah, I wondered what all the hype was about, and now I know why, the Barbie movie is awesome!" You kept rambling on and on about the movie as you both left the theater.

But as soon as you passed through the door, a cold breeze hit you, surprising you heavily; you did leave the theater quite late after all...

However, Chuuya noticed instantly as you started shivering from the pretty strong wind, and he immediately started giving you his coat.

Except you knew he had an important mission tomorrow, and besides, you were tired of him always looking out for you! He needed to care about himself too!

"No no, it's fine, keep it on, I'll be fine!"

Long story short, you were not.

Yes, you had managed to get him to keep his coat on, which did take him repeatedly calling you stubborn for a while but it was worth it, you could show him wrong and exhibit that you could take care of yourself on your own!

....except you couldn't, and were now stuck in bed as Chuuya stayed home to care for you.

"Please, Chuuya, I swear I'm gonna be okay! Just go to work, I can care for myself..." the reoccuring coughs weren't helping with your credibility, to say the least.

Chuuya sighed, slowly getting tired of your persistance, "I'm taking you to the doctor"

You frowned, your eyes widening as you got more confident in your denial, "What? No...I am not going to the doctor..." You looked down to the floor, not knowing how to convince him. "Just...please...I.. don't wanna go there"

He frowned at your sudden display of panic, worrying "What's wrong with going to the doctor?"

You mumbled under your breath, looking around the floor in order to find something more interesting to dissociate about "This...this is going to sound silly. It's just..I've been afraid of doctors ever since I was a kid and...since I kept avoiding it it just...kept getting stronger"

Chuuya rubbed his eyebrows together, grunting in frustration before picking you up in his arms. "We're going to the doctor, whether you like it or not."

And after a ten minute walk of you complaining and Chuuya stating he won't even let you down because, "you're too sick to walk on your own" you got to the doctor. Instantly, as you noticed you were approaching the institution, your body started shivering on his own, though, Chuuya being here did help in calming you down.

But in the end, as he held your hand throughout all the steps, in the end it wasn't so scary as you thought. And slowly but surely, you finished the check-up, getting diagnosed with a mild cold, the doctor stating that there was no reason to be worried.

"See? I told you it wouldn't be that bad!"

"And I told you it wasn't anything major!"

"Whatever..."

A/N lmao this is so ooc help like all of these paragraphs were written a month apart from one another sorryzzz

#bsd #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd x reader #bsd x y/n #bsd x you #bungo sd #chuuya x reader #chuuya x y/n #chuuya x you #hurt/comfort #bsd hurt/comfrt

61 notes · View notes

milosirlgf · 11 months

Text

a guy/honey drabble :3

note: this is set pre-confession! think maybe a couple weeks before the events of the valentines video :3 also, my headcanon is that honey's a wolf shifter so that might make more sense in the last couple paragraphs :3 also, i wrote the last bit at 2am, forgive me, its shit. not proofread. lowercase intended!

warnings: none! pure fluff :3

the clacking of your keyboard in the room across from his could very well have driven him insane. his eyes leaped between the image of his slightly creaked open door, and the hallway; contemplating exiting his den of serenity for the first time in what felt like years. he’d already received a, long, winded, well deserved lecture on the ethics of disturbing his favorite roommate’s focus in regards to their ever-so important essay. he had then, of course, argued the ethics, and, to put it in his words, the point of starting an essay three weeks in advance, which earned him quite a…terrifying glare.

guy’s mind wandered for, ten, maybe fifteen minutes, pondering whether to interrupt his cherished friend’s self-inflicted torture. friend. had they considered him a friend? would they ever even think of, perhaps, being.. more? he hadn’t even noticed when the excruciatingly loud typing had long halted. the fumbling of the doorknob across him interrupted his thought process. a rather, show stopping pair of eyes met his. his breath hitched.

“hi” guy was grinning, as usual, (his voice had always skipped an octave up when he was around them.)

“hi. sorry for.. uh. sorry for yelling, earlier, i mean.” they whispered, looking down at the bleak carpet below the two.

“oh?!” he chipped, “well, you’re forgiven, though you’re still very, very mean, i hope you know.” his smirk sent butterflies through their stomach, electric currents through their veins. he eyed the smile (which they’d tried to hide) creeping onto their gorgeous face.

“hey, guy?” their voice was like honey.

“mm, w. what?” he stumbled, voice wavering. eyes dancing up from their lips.

“wanna watch a movie? um. with me?” their hands fidgeted with the thread of their shirt. “uh. kayla’s at her boyfriends place for the night.. i was just, you know, wondering if you wanted to. no pressure.”

guy smiled, warmly,

“aaoow… how romantic!” his giggles bounced off the walls, filling their ears with nothing but sweetness.

“urgh.” they sighed with utter exasperation, “yknow what. nevermind.” they rolled their eyes, turning to face their bedroom, defensively.

“NO nononono no. no!” he whined, grinning through his words and grabbing their hand, giddily spinning them back around. “i’d love to, honeyyy!” he teased. his nimble hands began to tug them towards the living room as they groaned, heavily, at the petname.

“oh, come on.” they groaned, “that’s not even what werewolves look like, not even close!” facepalming, they leaned backwards, pushing guy’s shoulder against theirs. his breath caught, not focusing on the poorly edited, skinny, man-like ‘werewolf’ displayed charmingly across the tv screen.

“how would you know? you’ve never seen a werewolf before.. for all that you know, that COULD be an accurate representation.. you don’t know!!” his smirk was almost engraved into their mind.

“well, howdya know i’m not a werewolf?” they murmured, their face dead straight, not a sight of humor behind the phrase.

“i don’t.” he spoke, definitively, “buuut it wouldn’t surprise me.. you’ve got the grumbly, dare i say, emo.. attitude to back it up.” he uttered, “OW! owww shitshitshitshitshit stoooop!!” the pitch of his voice stepping higher as they hit him, forcibly with the largest pillow in reach.

“you’re just proving my point, sweetcheeks!”

#this is bad #im HORRIBLE at dialogue sorri guys #also first fic on tumblr !#woah!#crazy!#could u tell i was watching harry potter #redacted audio #redacted asmr #redacted guy

98 notes · View notes

fallingforfictionalcharacterss · 1 year

Note

Hi, I hope you're having a great day :) your blog is amazing!!

Can you possibly do a Draco x female reader in which the reader is deaf and Draco falls in love with her. And he learns asl to be able to communicate with her.

Love language

A/N: After months I finally finished this request, I´m sorry it took me so long. To be honest, I struggled with writing this, since I had some problems putting myself into the position of a deaf reader. I only realized while writing this how often I use auditory stimuli to describe certain things. Also, I wasn´t quite sure how to write dialogues in sign language (I just kept on using direct speech because I have no idea how to do it differently, is that how you do it?). However, I did some research on perceptions of deaf people as well as asl, but I´m still not completely happy with how it turned out. So if you notice any parts where I screwed up, please tell me, so I can adapt the story and make it more realistic (as realistic as it gets writing about fictional characters and magic, but I think you get my point). Anyway, I hope you still enjoy reading!

The sun was shining bright today. You squinted your eyes and raised your head, facing the light. The warm days were drawing to a close and you wanted to cherish every single ray of sunshine on your skin. If it wouldn’t be for the cool breeze blowing through the courtyard, you would have never guessed, that fall was close.

You let out a small sigh as you returned your attention to the essay lying on your lap. If you would keep on getting distracted by things as simple as the beauty of that day, you would never be able to finish all of your assignments. But then again, wasn’t that what made life so amazing? Finding the beauty in even the smallest things? Not if you wouldn’t pass your exams at the end of the year because you couldn’t keep your attention on the parchment in front of you.

But just as you had finally managed to get back to work, a movement in the corner of your eye made you look back up again. You saw one of your friends approaching you, grinning at you as a greeting. You mirrored her smile. But instead of sitting down next to you, she stopped in front of you looking down at you.

“Are you coming?”

You raised an eyebrow as your gaze shifted from the movements of her hands to her eyes.

You raised your right index finger, shaking it slightly.

“Where?”

Your friend rolled her eyes.

“Class obviously.”

You took a look at your watch and cursed yourself. Over the assignment, you had totally forgotten the afternoon class. But by now, you still had some time.

“I just need to finish the paragraph real quick. You can go ahead.”

Your friend shrugged her shoulders.

“If you say so. But don’t be too late.”

You laughed.

“Don’t worry. I won´t be.”

“If you say so.”

Your friend threw you a distrustful glance before she made her way to the class.

Not even ten minutes later, you followed her. Even though you needed to walk a bit faster than usual, you were still good in time.

At least you were until you rushed around a corner and bumped into someone.

“Sorry.”, you mumbled.

But your counterpart didn’t seem to care about your excuse. Draco Malfoy was staring down at you with cold eyes. You could see his mouth moving quickly and from what you could read from his face, he didn’t seem to be exactly pleased by the situation.

Once the string of words coming from his mouth ended, he crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking at you expectantly. But since you hadn’t heard a word coming from his mouth, you just looked at him with widened eyes.

“What, don’t want to answer me?”, he sneered, as you could read from his lips.

“Forgot I´m deaf?”, you answered, while bringing your index finger from your ear to your mouth.

You could literally see the rattling inside Draco´s brain until the penny dropped. Completely lost in his rage, he had actually forgotten that you couldn’t hear a single word coming from his lips. He opened his mouth, wanting to respond, before closing it again, with an irritated look on his face. You blamed it on the fact that his tirades were worthless towards you. You were for sure able to read the lips of other people, but only if they spoke slowly and clearly. And even though you had to admit that you wouldn’t have minded staring at Draco´s -how you had to admit- very beautiful lips for a bit longer, you knew that a conversation wouldn’t be exactly productive like that. But this was nothing you could fix.

With a swish of your wand, you conjured the bodyless hands, that had helped you out so many times before. Because when it came to communicating with people who weren’t able to understand sign language, as a wizard, you had a leading edge over the muggles. While the person who wanted to talk to you, just could ramble on however they pleased, you were able to conjure said hands, who would take over the signing for the person. You on the other hand could just use sign language, while your counterpart would hear your voice speaking. It wasn’t like you were completely unable to speak yourself, but since you had been deaf since you had been born, your pronunciation sometimes still made it hard for others to understand you when you had a longer conversation. And while your family and friends were all capable of signing, many people, including your Professors, weren’t able to do so, at least not to the extent when you were able to have a normal conversation with them or follow the classes. That´s why this complex spell was a brilliant way to make communication with others much easier, for you as well as others. Just like it did now.

Draco still looked slightly irritated and was searching for the right words.

“Honestly, we shared classes for years now. How could you forget?”, you signed, while you knew that Draco was able to hear the words as if you would be speaking to him directly.

“Sorry, I…”, Draco hesitated. One of the hands you had conjured, clenched into a fist and drew some circles in front of his chest before it froze in its position.

You couldn’t help the small smile that crept on your lips as you saw Draco´s ears turning slightly pink.

Draco and you had attended Hogwarts together ever since you turned eleven. But since you were in different houses, the two of you barely ever had any contact with each other. You highly doubted you had ever had an actual conversation, most likely due to the fact that Draco generally avoided talking to anyone who wasn’t a Slytherin, except if he wanted to bully them. But luckily, you had never been the victim of his attacks. So you were quite sure that you would remember if you would have ever interacted with the one and only Draco Malfoy, besides some group work in the classes you shared. But not only his reputation was the reason that Draco had by now definitely caught your eye more than a few times. Because overall, the tall Slytherin boy was -when he wasn’t bullying some first years at the moment- quite attractive. You often caught yourself staring at him during the classes or the meals, which was to you maybe even more unfavourable than others, since when your attention shifted to the blond boy in the classes, lazily resting his head on the palm of his hand, or playing with his rings, for some reason, you totally forgot looking at the hands dancing around the Professor's body, with the only purpose, that you would look at them and understand what they were teaching at the moment. But who would be able to concentrate on them when you could pay attention to things that were so much more interesting?

But the fact that Draco sometimes made your heart beat faster, even if you barely knew the boy, didn’t mean that you weren’t able to tease him in a situation like this. But as his stutter only got worse, you finally took pity on the boy and threw him a sweet smile.

“Nevermind. It´s alright.”

Draco seemed to be relieved by the fact that you weren’t actually upset with him. But how could you be, when his pale cheeks had taken an as adorable looking shade of pink as they did now?

“I was just in a hurry and I… just didn’t realize it was you. Sorry again.”

You couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised that Draco actually properly apologized to you. From what you had heard about him, this happened very rarely.

“No. It´s fine. Really.”

Draco threw you a small smile, making your pulse speed up. You could have gotten lost in the way he looked at you. But then again, you knew that this was childish. You weren’t eleven anymore, not as easy to impress as you had been when you had first met Draco. You were by now grown up and totally able to get a grip on yourself again.

“You said you were in a hurry. Don’t want to hold you back then, I guess.”

Once again, Draco smiled at you.

“Don’t we have the same way?”

You frowned.

“Why did you walk in the other direction then?”

The Slytherin chuckled.

“You know there are many ways to reach one´s destination in this castle, don´t you, love?”

You blushed involuntarily as the nickname left his lips. Your gaze shifted from his fists crossed in front of his chest to his eyes, which held an amused sparkle within.

“What are we waiting for then?”, you asked and passed Draco without shooting him a second glance.

You could feel the vibration of his steps on the stone floor as he caught up to you. And when his arms slightly brushed yours and you looked up and saw the boy grinning down at you, you were quite certain that Draco was worth it to form your own impression about the boy and not listen to whatever anyone else was saying. In the end, it fell on deaf ears anyway.

But while you had been slightly concerned that after that meeting in the hallway, Draco would want the two of you to go back to being strangers, you had been wrong. From now on the Slytherin boy showed signs of recognition any time you saw each other. He smiled at you from the other side of the room or raised his hand as a greeting when your ways crossed. However, you barely ever talked to each other, since your friends were anything but a fan of Draco and they were not afraid to show. So when Draco approached you one day after Transfiguration class, they made it very clear, that he was anything but welcome. And while you thought that it was kinda adorable how protective your friends were over you when it came to the boy with the bad reputation, you still chided them for their behaviour as soon as Draco had left, with a -as you thought, or maybe just hoped- slightly disappointed look on his face.

And when you saw him a few days later in the library, you decided to tell Draco, that you -contrary to your friends- didn’t mind his company at all.

When you sat down next to him, the Slytherin looked up at you and seemed to be slightly surprised by the fact that you approached him. Still, he shyly returned the sweet smile you gave him.

“What are you doing?”, you asked.

Draco raised an eyebrow in amusement.

“What do you think I am doing in the library when I have a book and my homework in front of me, love?”

There it was again, the warmth flushing through your body, making your cheeks burn.

“Sorry. I didn’t know you´d mind starting a conversation.”

You rolled your eyes.

Draco leant back in his chair, crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked at you with narrowed eyes.

“Do you? The other day, it didn’t look like that.”

You sighed.

“I know. Sorry about my friends. I…” You hesitated for a moment before you continued. “I really don’t mind your company.”

“Lovely.”, Draco said, but you could see by the look on his face that he didn’t exactly mean it. You cursed yourself for your poor choice of words.

“No, you got me wrong. It´s quite the opposite. I think I really enjoy your company actually.”, you corrected yourself.

Draco´s face softened again as he saw the way the blush on your cheeks darkened once more.

“You do?”

You nodded determined.

“Just so you know, I do so too.”, Draco said. Then he smirked. “At least I think so.”

You nudged the boy, making him laugh. The vibration went through your entire body, making you shiver.

But when Draco saw the deadly glare Madame Pince threw him, he quickly calmed down again.

“So you don´t mind if I keep your company for a moment?”

“As long as you want to.”

Studying with Draco was actually fun. At least as fun as studying could be. Draco was quite smart and the two of you completed each other just perfectly. While you helped the boy finish his essay, he gave you tips for the potion you had to prepare for Snape´s next lesson. Hours went by, but you barely noticed. Spending your time with Draco, made it pass so much faster than usual.

It was already dark outside when you finally dropped down your quill and leaned back in your chair. Draco did just the same, letting out a small yawn. You couldn’t help the small smile that crept on your face as you noticed how absolutely gorgeous he looked as he squeezed his eyes and the muscles of his yaw tensed. You didn’t even notice the way you were staring at him,until he did.

“Like what you see?”, he asked.

Once more this day, you flushed.

“You wish.”, you responded, trying to hide the fact, that Draco was right. Maybe even more than he knew. If he only knew how much you liked what you saw. How much you liked him. Way too much for your taste, regarding the little time you had spent with one another at this point. Still, you couldn’t help your heartbeat from speeding up as you saw the smug grin on Draco´s face, making you suspect he knew that you may had been not completely honest with him.

“Thanks for helping me with all this.”, you tried to distract, gesturing at the parchment and books, by now spread across all over the table.

“It´s fine.”

You looked at Draco in surprise. Because this time, he hadn’t used his voice and the magic hands to talk to you. Instead, he had made an expansive gesture, extending the fingers of his right hand, bringing it to the middle of his chest, thumb facing him.

Draco seemed to misinterpret your dumbfounded look because he looked at you concerned.

“Did I use this wrong?”, he asked, now using the help of the enchanted hands again.

“No, it´s…” You noticed your hands shaking slightly. How was this boy able to put you off your stride that easy? “How do you know this?”

“So it was correct?”, Draco made sure.

You smiled at him brightly.

“It was. Really good actually. How did you learn this?”

Draco shrugged his shoulder, trying to make his face look unfazed.

“It´s no big deal. You´re doing it all the time, don’t you?”

At this moment, Draco wasn’t exactly sorry that you couldn’t hear him. Because that way you couldn’t notice how proud his voice sounded. Because little did you know that after you had talked to him for the first time, back in that corridor, for some reason, Draco wasn’t able to get you off his mind again. And that the following days, he spent much time thinking how the hell he was going to not only approach you again but would also be able to impress you. And one day, as he watched you being engaged in a conversation with your friend, the two of you gesturing with your hands in a way, that looked to Draco like a secret language, just like to most of the people around you, that looked to Draco like a bonding between the two of you, something creating a special relationship, he knew what he had to do. He wasn’t quite sure yet why he wanted it -or maybe he did, he wasn’t even quite sure of that- but he wanted to share that bond with you as well. He didn’t want to need a stupid spell to be able to talk to you, didn’t want those stupid second pair of hands around him. He wanted to do it himself. Wanted your attention to be focused on him and him completely and wanted to understand the way your hands danced around you so effortlessly. And that´s why the same evening, Draco Malfoy started learning a new language. And he was engaged to it like he had never been for any exam. But the fact that you were smiling at him now oh so sweetly, and the shimmer in your eyes that made his pulse speed up, confirmed to him, that it was worth every single second.

“Yes, but it´s my first language. I grew up with it.”

Draco shrugged his shoulders once more.

“I just picked up on some things you did. It ain´t that hard.”

He was Draco Malfoy after all. He had a reputation to lose. There was no way he would ever admit that he had spent nights trying to hone his movements and learning as many phrases as humanly possible in that short time.

You tilted your head slightly and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

“So you watched me?”

Draco cursed himself. In his eagerness to try to hide the effort he had put into impressing you, he had accidentally slipped another thing he originally didn’t intend you to know.

“You wish.”, he said, copying the way you had tried to hide the fact that he had been calling you out before.

You chuckled.

“Maybe I do.”, you answered and winked at the boy, who felt the blush creeping back on his cheeks as you did so, which made you only laugh.

And when Madame Pince finally had enough of all your giggling and kicked you out of the library, this by far wasn´t the end of the evening.

And since that day, you couldn’t care less about what others were thinking about Draco. Because as time went by, you got to spend more and more of it with him and you loved every single second of it. You loved the warmth that filled up his eyes every time he looked at you, accompanied by the small grin that always played around his lips, and only grew smugger when he realized you were staring at him. You loved his lightweight touch lingering on your skin and the way it sent chills down your spine every single time. You loved the way you recognized the vibration of his steps or the scent of his cologne even when he wasn’t in your field of vision yet. You loved the way he frowned when he tried to understand what you were saying without your communication spell and the way he tried to communicate without any external help as well. Sometimes, when he was using sign language to talk to you, your thoughts drifted off, not focused on the meaning of the movements anymore, but on the way his hands moved carefully, as if he was afraid to say something wrong, the way he sometimes froze in the middle of the movements, trying to remember the next one, the way the rings on his fingers sparkled in the light of the candles lighting up the walls of the castle or the sunlight. And slowly, the realisation started to set in, that you didn’t just love all those things about Draco, but that you simply loved him. And you swore that this was the best feeling you had ever experienced in your entire life. Especially in those moments when you thought that Draco might feel the same. When you saw how his gaze softened when you were around, the way you made him laugh like you barely ever saw it when he was around others, how eager he was to learn your language, and how he sometimes just rested his head on his hand and just looked at you with this stupid beautiful smile on his face that made you blush every single time. Yes, you were in love with that boy, and little did you know that he was in love with you just as much.

By now, it was already spring. The day Draco and you had properly talked for the first time by now felt as if it had happened in another life, but then again you remembered it like it was just yesterday.

You were standing on the Astronomy tower, enjoying the cool breeze that blew up here, while you watched the hustle and bustle on the school grounds as you waited for the exact boy your thoughts were circling about right now.

And once more, you smelt his cologne before he even approached you. Yet, you only tore your gaze apart from the hurly-burly as he leant on the railing next to you. As you looked up at him and saw Draco smiling down at you, you returned it without hesitation.

“Hey.”

“What are you doing?”

“Waiting for you obviously.”

Draco raised an eyebrow.

“You missed me?”, he asked with a teasing grin on his lips.

“You know I always do.”, you responded.

For a while, the two of you just chatted about all different kinds of topics. But today, Draco seemed to be a bit distracted. He was biting his lip and shifted from one foot to the other the entire time. And while normally, by now, he was more than capable of having a small conversation with you in sign language, he seemed to mess up even the simplest sentences today. Also, you noticed that his hands were slightly shaking.

And when Draco in the middle of a sentence brought his hand to his forehead, insulting you as a bastard, even if that made totally no sense in the context of what he was telling you, you stopped him, by catching his hands with yours, before the boy would get himself in too deep.

Draco stopped his report in the middle of the sentence, looking at your small hands cupping his bigger ones as if he was mesmerized.

“What´s wrong?”, you asked him with a concerned look on your face.

But Draco just shook his head.

“Nothing.”

But the way he was avoiding your gaze told you differently.

When you placed one of your hands on his cheek, Draco flinched and tensed under your touch, but nevertheless, he gave in to you gently forcing the boy to look at you.

“You can tell me everything. Promised.”, you signed, before interlocking his fingers with yours.

Draco looked at you. You could see the hesitation in his eyes. He seemed to fight with himself before after a few moments he made a decision. Draco brought your hands that were still holding his to his mouth, placing a small kiss on them, making you smile slightly, before he let go of you.

“There´s something I need to tell you. Something I wanted to tell you for a long time.”

You nodded and smiled at him encouragingly.

With a swish of his wand, Draco made the hands you had conjured as usual to support the conversation disappear.

Then, slowly, as if he wanted to control even the slightest movements of him, he raised his hands, his eyes never leaving yours. With his right index finger, he pointed at his chest, before crossing both of his arms in front of it, making some fists with his hands, before pointing at you. Then Draco cleared his throat and buried his hands in the pockets of his robe. He lowered his head, letting his eyes flicker around the tower for a moment, before he glanced up at you, looking at you in apprehensive anticipation.

You looked at the boy, lips slightly parted, eyes wide open. In your head, you played his movements over and over again.

“I love you.” That´s what Draco had just signed. Had it been a mistake? Had he messed up the signs, like he had done many times before today? But then again, everything somehow perfectly made sense. It would explain why he had been so nervous before and why he was looking at you like this now, his eyes filled with anxiousness, yet he still looked hopeful.

But the hope faded with every second that passed. And only when Draco wanted to turn away already, you finally awoke from your rigidity and held him back.

Draco obeyed, as he forced himself to look at you again.

You mirrored Draco´s movements, pointing at him, crossing your arms in front of your chest, before you pointed at yourself. The look on your face was questioning.

Draco gave you a short nod and threw you a sad smile, misinterpreting the shock on your face as a rejection. But then, the confused look on your face gave way to the brightest and most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Slowly, you raised your hands again, repeating the movements in reversed order, pointing at yourself first. Draco´s eyes widened, and your smile brightened as you repeated the movement, faster this time.

“You love me too?”, Draco mouthed.

He needed to make sure. Needed to make sure his eyes weren’t fooling him, that he wasn’t dreaming this.

You nodded eagerly.

“I love you too.”, you confirmed out loud.

Even though you couldn’t hear it, for Draco the sound of your voice saying these four little words was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.

And as he pulled you in a tight embrace, burying his head in the crook of your neck, you could feel his hot breath on your skin and his lips moving against it, as he repeated the words over and over again: “I love you.”

When you finally pulled back, you only did so to lean in again in the next moment. Draco´s eyes darted from yours to your lips as he asked a silent question. And instead of answering, you just closed the gap between the two of you and pressed your lips on his.

You had never felt anything like this before. It felt like a firework exploding inside you, a warmth spreading from where his lips gently moved against yours through your entire body. You could taste him on your tongue, felt his hands on your hips pulling you closer to him, the vibration of his voice as Draco let out a small groan.

And when you finally pulled back, panting, and you looked into Draco´s eyes, you knew everything he was feeling or thinking right now. You didn’t need any words for this, neither spoken nor signed. And if you were honest, you highly doubted that any words could describe this moment in any language anyway.

Taglist: @xodracomalfoyxo @marigold-morelli @army24—7 @lbhmoon @cappgyuccino @writingwitch007 @myomy0ss @tinafuentes @dmslvt @slytherin4eva

#draco malfoy #draco x reader #draco x female reader #draco x you #draco x y/n #draco fluff #draco fanfiction #draco fic #harry potter #slytherin #fanfic #fanfiction

141 notes · View notes

satuguro · 2 years

Text

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚ THUS ALWAYS TO TYRANTS

[ ACT II : THE CITY IN THE TREES. ]

jacaerys velaryon x reader

#SYNOPSIS— lucerys is a little afraid of tigers, the city of iona is beautiful, and jacaerys likes looking shiny.

#CONTAINS— not canon au, lady of a house! reader, flawed reader, slowburn, later enemies to lovers, gore, blood, death, sexual content (later on in the series, after a time skip)

#AUTHORSNOTE— there will be some aspects of the original story that i changed. i added a new house that i created, and the reader has golden eyes purely for the plot, but remember, everything else is you. also, there's a weird glitch that duplicates some of my paragraphs, so i'm sorry about that. tthank you for all the support on the first part!

ACT I, ACT II, ACT III, ACT IV

"again!" akari yelled, readying his bamboo sword as he pointed it to you. his feet, bare against the floor of the jungle, stood firm as he bent his legs, ready to strike at any moment.

you were on the ground, nose bleeding profusely under the lanterns that hung above you and your trainer. you were only three and ten, much too young to train but much too stubborn to quit, for you stabbed your sword into the soil and forced yourself up. "i am up," you seethed, the anger of losing beating hard in your chest as you got up and into position.

"then fight," akari raised his sword up further, obsidian eyes glaring at you under thick brows. akari was a retired general from your father's army, and had chosen retirement not out of force, but simply because he wanted to. he was in his late 50s now, wise enough to guide his old army from afar but old enough to choose to live peacefully. for a while, he did; he owned a stall in the market that was popular for all types of fishing supplies and knives, and he was a stubborn haggler who only allowed discounts if the customer was as quick and as stubborn as he was.

which was why he agreed to train you. with your father's reluctant permission, of course.

you dove towards him, swiftly side stepping to try and hit the back of his legs. but of course, akari was quicker than you were; his sword blocked your hit, and he turned to kick you in the stomach with his opposite leg. you groaned as you laid on the ground, gripping your stomach as you curled into a fetal position.

"i believe that that is all we will be doing today," akari stated, walking towards his shoes to slip them back on. his brushed his white beard with his fingers to get rid of the little bits of dirt in them, not even paying you any mind as he began to walk back to his home.

"one more!" you said, forcing yourself to get up yet again, your stomach aching with pain as you gripped it. "please, let's go again."

"i told your father that when i said enough, i meant it," akari looked at you, dark eyes almost threatening you to argue with him, "you agreed to that, lady y/n. adhere to it."

you often found yourself training on the days your father was too focused on your brother. it wasn’t his fault — you understood that it wasn’t simple readying your son to rule over a whole island. but you knew you had time before your father would turn his sights to you to be the next leader. magnus was kind, thoughtful, empathetic, and cunning all at once; he was going to be the perfect lord. but you, being the youngest and only three and ten, had the time to be impulsive. you could afford to be curious, to explore the forests and and train until your bones break.

you had the time to be your age.

you forced yourself up by stabbing your bamboo sword into the soil, placing your other hand on your upright knee as you slowly tried to stand up. you winced in pain at that action, retreating back to a singular knee as you felt the pain spread wide on your leg. drops of blood from your nose fell to the ground and seeped into the soil, painting the rich dirt with red.

your father always said that iona's fertile soil was achieved not from simple nature, but from the blood of battle.

stiffly, akari brought out a handkerchief from his pocket, embroidered with the same golden thread used for your clothing. he knelt down to your level and gave it to you, not saying a word as he watched you intently. your hands were shaking, the adrenaline from the fight and the angry thoughts of not winning too strong to keep you still. he could see your eyes well up out of frustration, making your golden eyes shine brighter as you sniffled harshly.

"go to magnus, child," akari muttered, watching you avoid his eyes, too busy focusing on being tough to pay attention to how you actually felt. he sighed, placing his hand on his knee to stand up straight again. "learning how to fight takes time, strength, and agility," he said, "but most importantly, you need to be kind to yourself during this time. you are making good progress, but you will not be a master if your mind is not as strong as your body."

you nodded, not saying a word as akari turned away from you to walk back to his house. you watched him disappear into the surrounding plants, sniffing angrily to yourself.

that night, you had climbed the steps of the tree nearby and ran back home. magnus always knew how to help with fighting wounds. he had always laughed about it, saying that he had to teach himself because of how often he injured himself after training.

you ran inside your temple, going straight to his door. you gave a small nod to the guards in either side as you knocked. "magnus?"

silence. you frowned; usually he was back in his room by now.

"i'm hurt, brother, can you please help?"

silence.

you pushed his door open, finding only an empty room and an open window. you could feel yourself panic, the sudden realization hitting you; he actually did it. you didn't think he was serious - you should have known better than to underestimate your own family.

"guards!" you yelled, running to the open window and looking down. there was a rope that led all the way down the mountain and to the beach below. it was high tide, and the footprints he would have left behind were long washed away now; yet another secret washed away with the sea. you picked up the tied rope, swallowing thickly as you unsheathed your dagger, cutting it off the balcony. you turned around to the guards that ran into your brothers room. "call my father! my brother is missing!"

the islands of iona were located in the summer sea, a mile or two off the mainland. the island was located in the summer sea, barely visible from the shore.

the islands, from up above, were in the shape of a crescent that was open away from the shore. there were cliffs that were dislocated from the shore, coming off of the island at all sides. it made the island look like a sun from above.

surrounded by the deepest blue ocean jacaerys had ever seen, iona was filled to the brim with trees and shrubs. a row of mountains ran along the middle of the main island, equally as green as the rest of the scenery. the sands were a pure black and surrounded the edges of the island. boats were casted out around her — a sight only seen by the rhaenyra and her sons due to their dragons — and docked on a boardwalk market along the island’s cove. rocky cliffs sat to one side of iona, with ragged stones visible among the crashing waves. on the side of the island stood a desolate volcano — the only thing besides the hills and mountains that towered over the trees.

iona’s rainforest had some of the tallest trees he had ever seen. it seemed as though they reached for the heavens— as if they were reaching for their dragons. from above, iona almost seemed abandoned. almost, for along the wide shore towards the mainland were four figures with two tigers standing alongside them.

you squinted up at the royals, allowing your eyes to relax as their dragons’ figures casted a shadow over you. they were breathtaking in the bright sun, their scales shining bright against the lights and their wings creating a stronge breeze that rippled the waters as they neared. never had you seen such creatures, and you had to remind yourself to maintain a cool front— your father allowed you to greet them and bring them to him.

out of slight nervousness, your hand went to pet your tiger, vulcan. he gently pressed his face into your open palm, blowing air out of his nostrils out of familiarity. his white fur was wet from the oceanwater he had been running through not too long ago— unlike your brother’s tiger, ares, who stood on your other side, he was much younger.

the dragons landed a little ways in front of you and your cohorts, their large feet splashing in the water as they alnded. princess rhaenyra, prince lucerys, and prince jacaerys; all three dismounted their dragons, and you allowed yourself to walk closer.

“princess rhaenyra, prince lucerys, prince jace— jacaerys,” your felt your face flush red at your slip up, and you purposefully avoided eye contact with the prince as you curtsied, “iona and house arslan welcomes you.”

“history books truly does not do this place justice, lady y/n,” princess rhaenyra responded, returning your smile as she looked at you. “my husband has decided to stay at our home in dragonstone to keep everything grounded,” her eyes floated to your tigers, then to your cohorts, as though she was searching for someone, “where is your father? i believe he had told me that he would be arriving.”

“he has been aiding in the festivities," you laughed softly to yourself, "he’s a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to these things." out of pure wonder and curiosity, you looked up at the three dragons before you, frilling their necks as they got themselves situated to the hot and humid weather. they seemed to be enjoying it, for the summer sea was much hotter than most places further north. "your dragons are beautiful." you didn't take a step towards them, instead turning to the royals and asking, "what are their names?"

the bushes in the rainforest began to shake, the sound of heavy paws against the green floor reaching your ears. your cohorts turned to the sound, hands hovering over their spears as the sound neared. lucerys took a step closer to his mother, hiding a part of his body from whatever was about to jump out. jacaerys’ hand moved closer to his own weapon, his action wary as the eyes of a tiger were visible in the shaded jungle.

but even in the shade, jacaerys could see the second pair of eyes that sat right above the first, larger pair of eyes.

lord aegeus arslan, sat atop his own tiger, appeared from the thick foliage. his tiger (on its four legs) was large, almost as big as a bear on its four legs. it stood proudly in front of the others, its marks more orbital than the other two, and its fur shone tan and white. easily, lord aegeus slid off of his tiger, keeping a hand on it as he reached for his cane. he bowed, “princess rhaenyra, welcome to iona. house arslan welcomes you and your sons.”

you allowed him to take over with greeting the queen, your heart thumping hard in your chest. speaking so casually to the heir — as though she was simply another, well respected diplomat — you didn’t know how he did it. that had always been a problem you had tried to work with, one that had always been your downfall. because while you had mastered fighting with both words and your tongue, there was still a certain anxiety behind it all. socializing wasn’t your strong suit, you knew that, but that worried you even more. you were too busy asking the names of their dragons to keep yourself poised in front of the heir. you couldn't let your impulsive curiosity overtake you again; you had to be a perfect leader.

your fingernails dug into your palms, creating small crescents. mentally, you were criticizing yourself. you talked too little when you were supposed to speak up, spoke too much when you were supposed to be quieter—

“their names are syrax, vermax, and arrax.”

you turned towards jacaerys, who stood next to you. he looked as poised as ever, standing straight with his hands behind his back, but he was looking at you. you blinked, watching his eyes move down to your hands. quickly, you clasped them, acting indifferent to the worry that shadowed his face. "they are beautiful. i was just curious - it is not every day that we have dragons and dragon riders visit, you know."

"it's okay to ask, you know," jacaerys said softly, making you nod, still avoiding eye contact. "will they be well taken care of? we saw the volcano a bit away from here."

“rhea, cadmius, and achaikos will take good care of them. we have underground areas near that volcano that can house them during your stay.” you looked behind you to find your father bring princess rhaenyra closer to the rainforest, no doubt speaking about how your island worked. “i suppose we should follow them.”

“wait!”

you turned your head towards him, offering a small smile, “yes, luke?”

ever so wary, his eyes drifted to the two tigers that sat next to you. orion, your brother’s black tiger, on your left, and your own tiger to your left. hesitantly, he asked, “are they friendly?”

“no.” you stated, biting back a grin as you watched the young prince’s face fall. “i only jest, prince luke. they are friendly— to those who deserve their kindness.”

you motioned for the princes to come closer to vulcan as you squatted down to your tiger’s level.

“brother, you go first,” lucerys muttered, nudging jacaerys closer as he moved behind him.

jacaerys smirked at him, slowly moving down to the tiger’s level, “scared, luke?” he teased.

“am not!”

“whatever you say.” jacaerys looked at you, moving his hand closer to vulcan. gently, your hand wrapped around his wrist, slowly guiding his hand to be in front of vulcan.

vulcan was the youngest of the tigers your family had, he being your tiger. he was a beautiful white tiger, with sharp saber teeth that certainly weren’t fully grown. he was only a year old, since, due to tradition, arslans were gifted their own tigers on their fifteenth name day. but while vulcan was considerably young, he was already the size of a well fed dog.

“allow him to sniff you first,” you guided, still holding his wrist as you watched him. you could feel his pulse against your fingertips, strong and steady, signaling his fearlessness.

vulcan sniffed him, his eyes dilating as he did. his golden eyes — identical to yours, jacaerys noted — stared at him, before he pushed his nose into jacaerys’ hand.

“see? i told you.” you let go of jacaerys’s hand, offering your own hand to lucerys. “be gentle. tigers demand respect, similarly to nobles,” you guided lucerys as well, watching as a grin appeared on his face as he finally pet vulcan behind his ear. “but to them, there are no castes. they are no royals— through their eyes, everyone is equal.”

you stood back up, brushing off your dress. ares was long gone, already choosing to slink back into the jungle.

ares was 6 years old, and since he had been so used to magnus, it was hard for anyone to be his companion. for a year, he had been lost to the iona rainforest, until he appeared in magnus’ room when you were visiting it. since then, ares chose and picked when he appeared by your side.

“he will meet us at the temple,” you turned away from the princes, patting vulcan twice and watching him run off into the jungle. the two princes followed closely behind you as you walked.

“don’t we need him to make our way through the jungle?” lucerys asked, walking to your left as he stomped his way through the sand.

“my tiger, vulcan, and my brother magnus’ tiger, ares, both know the way through the jungle,” you explained, holding your dress up until your shoes reached the entrance of the jungle. “they shadow us from the rainforest floor, keeping us away from the other, untamed animals within.”

you followed your father, pushing away some foliage next to a rather large tree. “sometimes, our people opt to walk on the jungle floor.” it revealed covered steps that went all the way up the tree, a thick bundle of vines acting as a railing for those who used it. “but sometimes, we use our bridges.”

“bridges,” jacaerys breathed, and you smiled a playful smile at him.

“yes, that is what i said, my prince.” you bit back a laugh as you motioned for them to follow you up the steps.

“jace, remember?” jacaerys hummed behind you, and you only scoffed.

the steps went all the way up the tree, leading to a larger platform. there were guards situated there with their bows, focused on guarding the shoreline. their clothing was identical to the color of the foliage, making them blend in much more than they already were. they greeted them with a bow, and you raised a hand and said a small, “hello omari, acacius. as you were.” from their platform, they could see the shore perfectly; they could see potential enemies before they could see them.

silently, jacaerys wondered just how many of them were hidden among the trees.

“the people of iona, as well as my family, have learned to live with nature rather than against it,” you said, moving to one side of the platform, where a bridge led deeper into the rainforest, “so rather than live on the crowded and much more dangerous jungle floor,” you walked down the bridge, “we learned to live in the trees.”

jacaerys’ hands gripped the bridge railings, the texture slightly rough against his skin. “these bridges.. are they made of the trees?”

you sent them a proud smile behind your back, your hand coming up to feel along the tree, “not quite, my prince. this entire bridge is a part of the tree we climbed up, as well as the next tree. they are like their branches; our bridges are the trees."

“but how did you build it like this?” lucerys looked down from the bridge as he walked, mouth opening slightly when he saw the treehouses on the lower sections of the trees. even there, there were bridges leading from one tree and the next. each tree house seemed to either be a shop or a home, and ionians were all moving around on all the bridges, tending to their daily activities. “jace,” lucerys tugged on his brother’s clothes, nodding down to the community.

jacaerys cursed under his breath at the sight, the intricacy and beauty behind every bridge and building prominent. they were overgrown with vines and flowers alike, but the ionians didn’t care. in fact, they seemed to embrace it; fruit grew proudly along the side of one house, and children running on the platforms and bridges each grabbed one happily. lanterns hung from each house and on the side of bridges, illuminating the town, and jacaerys swore he saw an old woman bringing out food for a group of nearby monkeys.

the trees above them completely shielded them from the harsh sunlight, only allowing a few rays in through the cracks. the weather is humid, but comfortable.

“your city is beautiful,” jacaerys said softly as you continued to walk.

“i know,” you looked down at your people, waving at a group of children, who squealed in happiness at your attention, “we are currently on the tallest bridge in the rainforest, which is usually used by my house, diplomats or the guards. from here, you can see our entire town.”

“will we explore it all soon, y/n?” lucerys asked, excitement evident in his tone, and you laughed softly as you nodded.

“you will be here for a week and a half, luke; i will show you around personally.”

arslan temple was built into the mountain range that ran along the island like a spine. it was well hidden, overgrown with vines and flowers alike, with two statues of tigers next to the large doors, both carved out of the mountain itself.

it was cool inside, for the only sunlight that shone in came in through the windows. lanterns hung from above the corridors, and tapestries full of the history of iona decorated the walls, some of the thread shining gold in the warm light. you greeted each of your servants by their names, your smile genuine as you walked by them and led the princes to their rooms.

"your rooms are next to your mother's; i figured that it would be appreciated." you pushed open a door to reveal a rather large room with a balcony that overlooked the cove. it was decorated well, with a large closet, table and sofas, and a mirror. thick vines ran up the walls and onto the ceiling, coming down to hold a large lantern overhead. the bed had a canopy with white linen that hung from them, the cloth pinned to the engraved posts for availability. there were hanging plants that came down to act as a curtain to reveal the balcony, and bits of sunlight shone through the breaks. there was another window next to it with the same hanging plants. "prince lucerys, here is your room."

"thank you, lady y/n." he entered, immediately going to the balcony to look at the view.

you and jacaerys closed the door to his room, and you clasped your hands behind your back as you said, "he reminds me so much of my brother." you both began to walk down the corridor.

"how so?" jacaerys questioned, looking down at you. all he and the rest of the eight kingdoms had heard of magnus arslan was that he had died in sea. they heard that there was a traditional ionian funeral that was held shortly after his death; what they didn't hear, was that his funeral boat was empty.

"his charm," you stated, a sad smile on your face as you thought of your brother, "my brother was always the more charming one - much more charming than me."

"i would not doubt that."

"you are not supposed to agree." you glared at the laughing prince, "while i respect your family greatly, it doesn't mean i don't feel provoked to hit you." your threats were empty, a small thankfulness in your chest bubbling as the topic was swiftly changed.

you never liked dwelling on your memories with magnus. you had a slight contempt in your heart for him choosing to leave, not because he actually left, but because he never told you. he left you without so much as a goodbye, without so much as a warning, and you still covered for him.

why? because he was your brother.

"i'm sorry, lady y/n; it was too good of an opportunity to give up," jacaerys poked your arm, biting back a grin, "i do want to thank you, though."

"what for?"

"the ravens. i read every single one, you know."

"well, it would have been rude if you didn't," you commented wittily, rolling your eyes with a smile, "it is not every day that i find myself making friends; much less with the prince himself. i wanted to continue to talk with you," you stood in front of a door, "here are your chambers, prince jacaerys."

his room was nearly identical to lucerys', but his balcony was decorated with two chairs and a small table. jacaerys walked inside, making his way to the balcony and raising the curtain of plants with one arm, "care to join me, my lady?"

"your lady?" you fired back, raising an eyebrow, silently demanding him to correct himself.

"lady y/n," he corrected quickly, eyebrows furrowing as he cursed at himself under his breath, "hobrenka." jacaerys watched you intently as you closed the door behind you, walking towards him and slipping under his arm to go through the curtain.

you sent him a glare as you did, saying a short, "i am not your lady, jacaerys," that showed your obvious dislike to the idea.

jacaerys groaned, "i know, y/n. it was a simple mistake." he moved to the edge of the balcony, placing his hands on the railing as he gazed over the cove. below him, the market was as busy as ever, with fisherman moving in and out of the cove, sellers and customers haggling over prices, and piles of fruits, spices, and cooked food out for anyone to buy. "will you take me there?" he asked you, his eyes remaining on the marketplace.

"hm," you leaned your back against the railing next to him, pretending to think as you picked at your fingernails, "i suppose that tonight, i will. we have a celebration planned for you and your family," you looked over your shoulder, down at the thriving market, "but the night market is happening tonight as well. so if you truly insist.."

"i really do," jacaerys' grin was wide as he poked you again (what was it with him and poking your arm?). "i must ask.. did you have this planned out before my arrival?"

"do you assume that i was so excited by your presence that i planned an entire scandalous night? you royals truly do expect the most from us."

"you are so kind, lady y/n."

"shut up."

jacaerys had been to many celebrations, but nothing as beautiful as iona's.

their celebration venue was not hosted in the arslan temple, but rather, outside in the largest platform they had. built around one of their strongest trees, the platform went completely around and stretched to other platforms, all of which were held up by the trees many branches. ionian architects had learned to manipulate the branches to grow to hold up the platform, a feat that only they and house arslan knew. from above, vines held lanterns of all kinds of colors and shapes, hanging at differing lengths all around them. tabls surrounded the main stage, where lord arslan's chair sat right in the middle. to the side of him were three chairs for the royals, and to his other side was a chair for you.

the music was booming and loud in jacaerys' ears, primarily due to the drummers that were situated in higher platforms, all wearing their celebration clothes as they switched between drums. in a corner, musicians played a quick song for the dancers, who were doing a traditional circle dance around the tree.

the festivities were in full swing by the time you had arrived, for you opted to appear when the party was in full swing to draw less attention to yourself. you stepped up the last few steps to the platform, holding your skirts in your hands. your arms and neck were decorated with bands of gold, and your fingers were adorned with your rings. your hair was worn back into a braid decorated with flowers - you had told your maids that you planned to dance for most of the night.

they had offered you your mother's earrings, which were a chain of gold with one single pearl hanging down. like many other times, you only gave them a pained smile and politely refused.

your dress, white and made of the finest silk, fell gracefully as you allowed your hands to stop holding them. embroidered cold decorated the bottom of your dress, coming up in swirls of thorns and flowers. you swallowed thickly as you stood there, watching some of the dancers stop when they noticed your arrival.

"lady y/n arslan, of house arslan!"

curse those announcers.

you forced your back to be straight as you carefully walked around the dancers, smiling at them politely. you made eye contact with your father, who rather than look disappointed at you tardiness, looked on at you proudly. you could see it in the shadow of a smile he had, and the sadness in his eyes. you knew what he was thinking, having heard the phrase multiple times before; you looked like your mother.

you quickly curtsied in front of princess rhaenyra, observing her red and black dress and the elegancy in her appearance. she smiled at you as she nodded, saying, "we have missed you in this celebration, lady arslan."

"some of us much more than others," lucerys commented quietly behind a cup of water, looking at his brother with a cheshire grin. he groaned as jacaerys reached over to ruffle his hair, his playful annoyance unconvincing as jacaerys poked his stomach and made him laugh.

"thank you, princess rhaenyra. you dress is truly exquisite; the colors look beautiful together." you looked to your father, seeing the satisfaction in his face, before continuing, "may i ask you for your permission to teach prince jacaerys and prince lucerys a dance?"

"oh, go ahead," rhaenyra motioned for her sons to join you (though lucerys was already standing up and joining you). she looked at jacaerys, whose eyes were on you yet again as you excitedly told lucerys of the dance. she was observing him, how his face looked peaceful as he watched you, how he seemed to be looking at you with a kind of contentedness that only came from a certain liking. "if you would like to dance with her, go ahead, jace."

jacaerys turned to his mother, nodding quickly, "i will. i will ask her.. but not right now." he watched how you interacted with lucerys, how relaxed lucerys looked with you, and a part of it warmed his heart. you were getting along painfully well with his brother, and for some reason, that mattered a lot for him. "i'll join them both, if that's okay, mother?"

rhaenyra nodded, and jacerys stood up to leave a swift kiss on her cheek. her knowing purple eyes followed him as he approached you, and you poked the prince as you started over in your steps. the three of you were dancing between two bamboo sticks that were held by people on either side. on beat, the bamboo sticks would occasionally come together, increasing the possibility of injury, but that didn't seem to bother you that much. rhaenyra heard the jokes that were passed between the three of you, but she saw how you held jacaerys' hand as he quickly stepped between the bamboo. you were smiling at him, your fingers so gentle against his skin as he tried to keep up with you and lucerys (who, for some reason, was doing much better at the dance).

"oh to be young again," lord aegeus commented next to her, and rhaenyra laughed softly.

"you are quite correct, lord arslan," rhaenyra looked on at the teenagers, even as they moved with the other dancers around the tree. "it makes me truly happy to see them being children."

"if any one were to bring out that side of them, it would be my y/n," the lord's smile was solemn as he continued, picking up his cup of wine, "of my two children, she was the impulsive one, you know."

"really?"

"truly." lord aegeus laughed softly to himself, "my eldest was always so dutiful. but y/n.." he fixed himself in his chair, leaning closer to rhaenyra, "i always compared her to the sea. her mind is unpredictable and stubborn.. but dangerous and cunning if need be."

"watch your ankles, brother!" lucerys laughed as jacaerys nearly tripped over yet again, almost messing up the dance in the process. lucerys was keeping your pace, the beats of the drums loud against his heart.

next to them both, you were twirling and holding your skirts, your smile bright as you danced alongside them. you had danced this dance many times before, all for different reasons, and you loved it every time. not for the dance itself, but for the thumping of the drums. you could feel it match your heartbeat, ringing loud in your ears and vibrating the air. there was a certain amount of adrenaline that came to it all, and maybe that was what made it so addicting.

the song finally died down, and everyone cheered loudly, you especially. you were laughing, drunk off of the excitement of the night, and you turned to jacaerys, grin widening as he bent down to massage his ankles.

"i will go drink some water!" lucerys yelled over the chattering and festivities, and you nodded as you moved closer to jacaerys. you tilted your head down to the side to look at him, smirk playing at your lips. "are you okay, prince?"

"of course," jace hissed as he massaged a particularly sensitive spot, "never been better."

"there's an herb that is sold at the night market that will heal that quite nicely," you sing-songed, and jacaerys laughed breathlessly as he looked up at you. his hair was messy and sticky with sweat, the dance proving to be much more a workout than a dance.

jacaerys held out his hand, "help me up first?"

"royals are so demanding." you took his hand into yours, your grip strong as you pulled him up with an alarming amount of strength.

jacaerys' eyes widened at the ease at which you pulled him up. "you are much stronger than you look, lady y/n," he commented, and you rolled your eyes.

your hand settled into his for there was a silent mutual agreement to keep your hands interlocked. his pulse was strong, thumping steadily against yours, matching the drums that signaled the next song. you looked at him, wordlessly moving to move some hair away from his face. your fingertips brushed against his soft skin, your eyes moving from his hair to stare at his face. he had a few freckles, you realized, and you noticed they were in the shape of your favorite constellation; orion's belt.

you cleared your throat, putting your hand back down. "let us go then, before they notice we are gone."

you were breathless upon your arrival to the market, your head looking up as you struggled to catch your breath. the stars have already began to appear, shining bright in the sky and adding onto the already beautiful multicolored lanterns of the night market.

you and the prince had ran almost the entire way to the market, for you knew your father would surely notice once he looked away from his conversation with princess rhaenyra. the fact that you were out with the prince without a guard or a chaperone again was scandalous, to put it simply. the night market was far more dangerous than the daily morning markets, which was why you had ordered your tiger to wait for you and jacaerys to start running so that he could follow you.

"tired, prince jacaerys?" you managed to ask between large gulps of air, laughing breathlessly as you closed your eyes and allowed the salty breeze to cool you down.

"how can you jest after the marathon we just ran?" jacaerys groaned, catching his breath as he looked at you. he saw you then, closing your eyes with a content smile on your face, the moonlight hitting your face and casting an ethereal glow. from where he stood, he could see the small scars you had on your face that were most likely achieved through hard training. but every one of your scars looked like a careful brush stroke onto a masterpiece of a painting.

his hand was still intertwined with yours, and while he was trying not to overthink about horribly clammy his hands must have been in that moment, you didn't seem to care.

"you truly do have a problem with staring," you stated, your eyes cracking open to reveal the familiar glowing gold of your irises. your free hand came down to pet vulcan, who didn't seem tired in the slightest as he sat next to you, patiently waiting for your order.

jacaerys huffed, averting his eyes to look at the night market. nervously, he fixed the collar of his clothes with one hand. "just like that, the moment is ruined."

"you are quite welcome." taking control of his hand, you pulled him towards the night market as you began to walk. "come; i promised i would show you all the best stands."

jacaerys had not realized how often you were in the market until he heard vendors and customers alike greet you. calls of 'lady y/n!' and 'lady arslan- we've missed seeing you!' filled his ears as he walked next to you and your tiger, who walked close to your side. he saw men twice his height greet you as though you were a friend, and saw all types of people do the same. you were respected - highly respected, by the looks of it. they were staring at him too - he was a royal after all - but none of them dared to step closer.

jacaerys furrowed his brows as he walked next to you, wondering why none of them dared to step closer. he looked at you, too busy looking for the first stall to bring him to, and his eyes drifted down to a particular silver and gold glint at the side of his eye. then he saw it; on your thigh, only visible by the slit in your dresses, was a sharply curved dagger.

so that was why. that and your tiger.

"so how dangerous is the market at night?" he asked, stopping with you in front of a stall. yet again, the vendor seemed to know you well as she greeted you happily. she was an old woman with a round face and a bandanna tied around her head, her smile bright and warm as you looked at the both of you.

"fairly dangerous," you responded nonchalantly, smiling as you addressed the vendor. "two orders of your fried squid on a stick. yes, thank you, carina." you paid her dutifully before turning to the prince with a smirk, "but it's safe as long as you are with me."

"are you sure?"

"do you doubt me?" you raised a challenging brow, gently removing your hand from his grasp to cross it over your chest. "i am telling you, prince, i come here often, much often than you think, and i have yet to die."

jacaerys sighed, taking a step closer to you as he put his hands clasped behind his back. "fine, then. though i doubt that the dagger you have will do much at all."

you smiled sweetly to him, eyes glinting with a slight excitement. "you would be surprised, my prince."

"your prince?" jacaerys repeated, eyebrows raising and a sly smile making its way onto his face.

you groaned as you hit his arm, making him hiss and rub the area. "you are the prince of the eight kingdoms, are you not?"

"here you go, lady arslan!" carina spoke happily, her wrinkled hands holding out three squids on a stick. you took one and handed it to the prince, who held it up to his nose and sniffed it curiously.

"carina, i only asked for two," you said, only taking the other squid from her.

"the other one is for your tiger, child," carina took your hand back, putting the other squid stick into your hand and curling your fingers around it, "you cannot have a hungry tiger at a market." she nodded towards vulcan, who was now eyeing jacaerys as he took a bite out of his squid. carina smiled again, a wise glint in her eyes as she commented, "he's a handsome one, lady arslan. odd, how i have never seen him before."

"that's the prince, carina."

"even better!"

you laughed softly, leaving more money for her on her table (which she immediately complained about, saying that the squid was a gift). "come now, vulcan. huminto ka na." you slid the squid off of the stick and tossed it to him, allowing him to catch it mid air.

you and the prince began to walk yet again with vulcan leading you in front. "do you like it?" you asked him, observing how he chewed the seafood.

jacaerys swallowed the squid, "what did she put in this? it tastes incredible," he bit another piece, happily chewing.

"a coagulation of spices, i assume." you bit into your own squid, eyes lighting up when you saw another vendor. "jace! you have to try these crab cakes," you grabbed his hand and dragged him up to yet another vendor who knew you well, your voice quick as you spoke to them.

you looked so.. excited. jacaerys would have never guessed that an arslan could act so much like a teenager until now, the assumption that all arslans were simply strategic and dangerous individuals flying out of his head as he watched you converse with the vendor. you cared for them - truly cared for them, and that was enough for them to care for you as well. he admired you for it.

the rest of the night continued on like that, with you dragging him (how were you so strong?) to every vendor you loved to buy from. from snacks to drinks, from jewelry to clothes, jacaerys tried it all. not only because it looked delicious and beautiful, but because you showed it to him. these were the favorites you grew up with, the pieces of your culture that you were showing to him. it was a piece of you that you were revealing to him.

"so how does this work?" jacaerys asked, holding up the small compact of crushed seashells. he was the one who dragged you to the vendor who sold powdered seashells and crushed pigments, and out of pure entertainment, you bought him a small compact of crushed seashells from iona's cove.

you had brought him to an area of the beach that was away from people. after buying a blanket from the market, you had laid it out on the black sand and sat down on it alongside him and vulcan. the food you hadn't eaten yet sat in front of the both of you for you both to snack on later.

"here." you moved closer to him, taking the compact and opening it. "hand," you ordered, and he obeyed, giving you his hand. you opened the compact and dipped your finger into the shiny powder before swiping it on the top of his hand, making it shine under the moonlight.

"so that's how you're so shiny all the time," jacaerys said, holding his hand up to the moonlight and moving the shine around.

"what is that supposed to mean?"

"nothing." he turned to you, smiling brightly as he held his hand out flat. "may i put some on you?"

you rolled your eyes, situating yourself in front of him. "sure, prince jacaerys." you grinned at the glare he sent you as he opened the compact, dipping his thumb into it the same way you did.

all you heard was the sound of crashing waves as he moved closer. you swallowed thickly, his eyes staring into yours as he placed his finger near your collarbone.

"may i?" jacaerys asked, searching your eyes for any sign of hesitancy or doubt. he was serious, more serious than you had ever seen him, and you nodded as you stared at him.

softly, his thumb swiped over your right collarbone. it was as if he was scared to break you, as if the smallest amount of pressure would leave a bruise or a crack on your skin. he was so focused on you, so entranced by the way the seashells looked on your skin and how you felt under his fingertips. gently, he moved onto the next collarbone, the tips of his fingers running over your skin as he moved pieces of your hair away from it. he swiped the powder on your collarbone again, as though he was a meticulous painter creating his masterpiece, as though he was a sculptor running his hands over smooth marble.

his eyes met yours, still searching for any sign of doubt as he moved closer to you. "are you okay?" jacaerys breathed, his breath fanning over your lips.

"more than okay," you responded, eyes moving down to look at his parted lips.

you were centimeters apart now, lips grazing over each other with teenage hesitancy. you could feel all of him; his hammering heart, his soft breath, his hands, his hair tickling your face, his quick pulse. your senses were all focused on him, because he was all you saw.

deafening screams echoed from the rainforest, making you and jacaerys jump apart from each other. your hand went to your dagger as you stood up, vulcan standing up with you and growling towards the rainforest. you could hear the snapping of twigs and the rustling of leaves, and you put yourself in front of the prince, whose hand was holding his sheathed sword.

a guard, omari, appeared out of the foliage, his sword in his hand. he was panicked, that much you could tell; nothing like the calm and collected guards you usually had. "lady arslan, you must come back to the celebration."

"omari, what happened?" you demanded, already walking towards him with vulcan and jacaerys in tow. omari looked pained to say his words, his eyes full of sorrow as he looked at you.

"an assassination attempt was made."

"on who?" jacaerys asked, panic already setting in as he looked at omari.

"it was an attempt on princess rhaenyra, but it did not succeed. the princess is safe, prince jacaerys," omari swallowed thickly, turning to you, "but your father.. he took the fall for her."

ACT III, ACT IV

#AUTHORSNOTE— there's a weird glitch that duplicated some of my paragraphs, so i'm sorry if that happened! i literally can’t wait for character development to happen to the reader lmao, thank you for all the support in the last part, and feel free to send asks about this series! thanks for reading!

#TAGLIST— @happinessinthebeing

293 notes · View notes

tls123 · 6 months

Note

Sorry if I bother you, but I really love your gif sets! Do you know some tutorials or, app, or anything, to learn how to make good gif? I am learning and I feel very stupid because all my gifs are shit. (if my ask is inappropriate or anything, please ignore me)

you're not bothering and none of this is inappropriate, you're more than welcome in my inbox! as for your questions, let's see what i can do.

1) tutorials — i've been doing this for long enough that i don't really have much to recommend here, the only tutorials i use nowadays are all about specific things and not how to make gifs as a whole. that being said i've linked this one before, i personally do some things differently but it's a very good tutorial, well-received by gifmakers who are just starting and well written, from what i've skimmed through.

another good post to look through is this one, not a gifmaking tutorial per se but it goes into sizes, sharpening, and how to get neat & clear gifs. two of the main points are A) while you can get away with making gifs out of a 720p quality video, 1080p is what is usually recommended. you could use 4k as well, but a 1080p video is usually easier to find, will take less space in your storage, and will give you really good results already. no need for overkill <3 as for B) size matters here on tumblr dot com, mostly width. the op of the post linked in this paragraph has included a nice graphic for the size limits for gifs, you can refer to it as you make your gifs so that whatever you make won't turn out pixelated once you upload it to tumblr.

if you're curious, i've been asked about my sharpening settings here and i spoke before on tumblr sizing here

2) software — you mentioned app, if by app you mean mobile stuff then i'm sorry, i can't help you! i've never made gifs through mobile and i wouldn't even know which direction to point towards for you to find more information. as for computers, if you mean programs then these are what i use to make my gifs: potplayer (for taking screencaps) and photoshop cc 2020 (for making the actual gifs, this is the post i used but here's one with more links)

now i'd like to mention something my grandma always used to say: no one is born learned. you're not stupid just because it's taking you a while to do something, learning is a process and everyone has their own pace. i've been making gifs for a decade now and i know there are things i could do better! i'm also still learning, i make plenty of "shit" gifs before stumbling my way to something i am okay with posting, and sometimes i'm really proud of what i've made and other times i think it's just "good enough". i understand feeling disheartened but please do not feel stupid about any of this!

no use in putting yourself down, now hold my hand and let's add the finishing touches on this long ass reply <3

3) tips — we've mentioned video quality, sharpening, and sizing. what else, what else. personally i would start simple (and i did, way back when, and still do!! most of my gifs are quite simple). so: cropping/resizing + coloring + sharpening. it'll help get the basics down and then you'll have a good foundation for everything else you might want to learn. i mentioned in another ask, almost two years ago now lmao, that i used to download other people's free psds (that is, pre-made settings and layers to color your gifs) and instead of using them i would open them up and pick them apart to see how people were coloring things, which layers they used, in which order, stuff like that.

remember: there is no right or wrong to do this! you could ask ten different people how they make their gifs, and their preferences for any specific part of the process, and you'd get ten different answers. if you find a tutorial and don't vibe with it, throw that aside and look for another. pick and choose, find what works for you and what doesn't! and that means do not be afraid to experiment and try things out.

also, don't like photoshop? no problem! i started with gimp, now personally i wouldn't recommend it over ps but it's a good program, it taught me a lot, and there's really nothing to hate about it. it might have less functions than ps though, and already a decade ago there weren't that many tutorials/resources for it.

don't like photoshop AND don't want to download a program? try photopea, i haven't used it but it works directly from your browser and it should do everything photoshop does!

let me know if there's anything else i can help with <3

#fra.xml #fra.txt #long post /#anonymous

17 notes · View notes

appalachianapologies · 3 months

Text

okay so I was tagged by @lailuhhh and @rosieblogstuff and I think one other person (i am so sorry i forgor) many days ago and i am finally doing the first sentence of ten works thing. I guess the general consensus is no one knows whether or not this is for WIPs or posted things so like many others I'll just do a combo of both :D

From a wip that is uhhhh 22k and counting long, titled in my google docs as simply "fuck it desi lore," starting off strong with a sentence that I don't think is actually grammatically correct but you know what sometimes the vibes matter more than grammar and you can quote me on that: Later, Desi will feel guilty for it.

From chapter one of Remittent Distress, we have a line that sounds like it's going to be macriley WHICH IT IS NOT- (PS she's just out on a little mini mission she's not dead or anything) During the three days that Riley has been gone, Mac's been coping poorly.

Another chapter one first sentence, we have the first line of what's shaping up to be my next book! Cue the school intercom noise... "Good morning Ravens, happy Tuesday, and happy first day of school!"

Next we have chapter one (not the prologue) of False Dawn, which is a WIP that keeps me up at night and makes me feel far too many emotions at once: Bozer has a strange affinity for sending physical letters.

We have a bit of a secret fic that's up next- set in Tender Mercies universe, except this is set approximately 10 years in the future from Aground, the most recent fic in the series. Mac makes it a single step into the visitation cell before freezing on the spot.

Next up we have the first line of one of my favorite fics of mine, where we get some Sam Cage! (sam my beloved). Get ready for the first sentence of Episteme! Samantha Cage, despite her evergrowing want to be out of the life she threw herself into, isn’t exactly sure how to stay out of it.

Okay so this is the first line at the moment, but might not be if/when I finally get around to writing the vast majority of this fic. After drafting out an entire fic on a plane ride about a year ago, I only actually fully wrote out a few paragraphs. Here's the beginning of it as of right now: “Arriving in forty-five minutes,” comes the eventual answer through Mac’s earpiece.

Now we have the first line from Past + Fire + Present, purely because I think it's a fabulous addition to the whole point of this post (and also this does happen to be a fic that i am quite happy about how it came out). The first sentence is a little bit lack-luster though... Hands.

Changing things up a bit, this next sentence is from my 95% finished The Martian fic that has been 95% finished for over a year at this point. I really just need to write two more paragraphs and post it at this point, but here's the start! Sneaking out of Beck's quarters as soon as he stepped out to talk to the rest of the crew was probably not the brightest of plans, but I can’t take it back now.

And to end things off, we're going to hop back to Remittent Distress, but this time in the form of the first sentence for chapter three! (Currently working on it, fear not) It’s to be expected.

I'm fairly certain that at this point everyone that I know has been tagged in this (and I'm also like a week or two late at this point), so if you see this, assume you're being tagged! (and also if you write your own please tag me somewhere in it so I can read your sentences :D)

#in which vi actually writes #macgyver #the martian #original fiction #in which vi thinks about writing #tag games #writing games #looking at how i start my pieces and going. ''damn girl you [write] like this?'' (derogatory)#idk man at some point i'll learn how to start pieces. that point is clearly not today though #''Hands.'' WHERE'S MY FUCKING PULITZER

9 notes · View notes

okaystoptellingmetomakeanaccount · 2 months

Text

Facciotto drawing is a 4-parter world of ice !!!!!

Okay so basically what we can take from this is: we will get more of Magica doing cool shit with the ocean. Volcanic witches will return. The chapter title makes it sound like Magica’s last name is Oceanica lol.

A world of ice reminds me of that Casty story l’impero sottozero. But that was more science fiction and politics this is gonna be cool magic things there gonna be magic ice in a world of ice in a ice ice magic ice

If every chapter is gonna be 30 pages that means more than 120 pages again which will slap (ITS THE YEAR OF LONG ENNA STORIES EVERYONE YIPPEE)

So like theyre going hard on this whole Magica + water stuff. Which i really like. I like water. I love it so much, i quite literally drink it every day. Even, the country in which i live is under the sea level. And ill tell you, i am largely MADE of water. If that aint enough prove that im a water fan…

Tbh my dream disney comic series was Magica going on her own adventures in the magic realm on a journey or something and then have the format be like PK and now that Seven witches is getting a sequel, its looking like this whole Magica fucking around with no numero uno in sight might just become a regular series. Like this is pretty much becoming my dream comic at this point.

Okay so lets do a bit of speculating on the plot. Ill say that something that happened in seven witches somehow unleashed a curse on the magic realm that has now gone into an ice age. Or maybe they will cause the curse in the first chapter. Actually the chapter title makes that seem more likely. That bitch from last time comes back to start some beef and they fight and shit and then somehow oh oh really cold water gets everywhere. Then Magica journeys through the ice world to solve it and things. Come back in 5 weeks to see that i got everything wrong. I kinda hope that actually what i just made up sounds really lame

But why would she go up against the volcanic witches? She made peace with 6 of em last time theyre best buds now. Magica does some really bad stuff maybe? She goes into dark forbidden magic territory? But that seems unlikely and out of character for what Enna has been writing. The other witches get hypnotized or something? OR MAYBE THE TITLE IS A FAKEOUT. I GOT YOU ENNA. The story starts off with them battling but its a friendly competition and then the story goes somewhere else!

Anyways i reaaaaallly want to know what theyve been cooking and no idea how its gonna go but i know its gonna be amazing because long story + Bruno Enna + Magica = at the very very least gonna be a ton of fun.

Sorry for the ramblings but i could not not ramble about this i mean its Magica and (then the writer proceeded to type out ten paragraphs of confused rambling text where they used the words magica and enna around 3041 times)

#magica de spell #disney comics #ducktales #duck comics #i will spam disney comics tags because i am so excited you have no idea #i am scared of what people on papersera will say though #but i believe in the enna #enna has never dissapointed me #and i forget whenever he has #bruno enna #my beloved #giuseppe facciotto #who i also like

8 notes · View notes

montrealmadison · 4 months

Text

hello beloveds!

so sometimes on this earth you make amazing friends, who you meet in all kinds of ways. sometimes they’re through class, or work, or a common interest you share—and sometimes, if you’re lucky, they come into your life via a tumblr dm about an edit that you made of a fictional southern hockey player set to a taylor swift song.

THEN, as if that wasn’t enough, they roll into your inbox with a google doc titled “the scariest thing is experimental prose and facing your feelings” at 10 pm, which leads to long writing sprints and sending screenshots of paragraphs with “ok i fixed it does it hurt more now” and, ultimately, tens of thousands of words about building a legacy and finding yourself again after a change that feels insurmountable.

enter the lovely, wickedly funny, fabulous kate @ohyoufool, whose christmas gift to me this year was a hand-bound (!!!) copy of our fic creation myth.

to say i’m honored would be an understatement. this is a work of art and a labor of love from cover to cover and i would absolutely love any excuse to show it off so please don’t hesitate to ask. i’ll do it.

2023 was a super weird year for me. i quit my job, started grad school, and moved six hours away from everyone i knew in the world. the omgcp fandom has been a huge constant amid the insanity, and without y’all lurking in this corner of the internet i’d be nowhere near as happy as i am. i think this is as good a moment as any to say thank you for all the support this fic has received. we’re really, truly humbled by everyone’s comments (and tears. sorry. we’ve been enjoying them.) 🩵

kate - i really wanted to say all of this via text but i think all i can manage is another 70 variations of “how can i ever thank you” and “i am unwell” so i hope it’s okay if i borrow a few of your words: “in writing this, i realized this story is not about me. it’s about jack zimmermann, but it’s also about all of us, and about finding and making the connections that make life worth living.” i wish i could have told the version of myself i was in august—and the version of jack who went to play for the aces—that it’s going to be okay. friendship, inspiration, and laughter are all just around the corner. you just have to be brave enough to keep going till you get there.

in conclusion: look for the owls. hug your friends today. read creation myth.

love, emma 🩵

#omgcp #omgcheckplease #kate tag #my writing #i’m crying real tears this evening

15 notes · View notes

weepingfromacedartree · 7 months

Text

Ten Milestones (Interlude): Voicemails

Hi friends!

Another interlude chapter is ready for ya. It's quite different than our standard chapters, so... enjoy :)

Two quick notes:

1. This interlude spans the first five-ish years of Colin’s travels abroad. It starts after the events of Chapter 5 and will lead directly into next chapter.

2. Anytime “…” appears between paragraphs, it’s to indicate that the speaker is pausing for a few seconds.

June 9th, 2015 - 3:23 PM

To: colin ✈️

From: pen ✨✨

Hey! I wanted to call and make sure you landed safely. But I, uh —

[Laughter.]

I think I got the timing wrong. I think you’re still in the air. So just call me back whenever you do land.

…

I still can’t believe you’re really doing this. I mean —

[Nervous laughter.]

Obviously, I can believe it. I just — I can’t wait to hear all about it.

Bye, Colin.

~~~~~~~~~~

June 29th, 2015 - 7:07 AM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. I just emailed you a few pictures, but um —

[Laughter.]

Did you know there are like a million stray cats roaming around Athens? I swear, there’s at least one on every corner, popping his head out looking for food or attention. But I was just going for a run and — I swear to god — I saw the reincarnation of Mr. Whiskers pissing on an olive tree. This tiny grey fur ball looked up at me and —

…

Wait. Is Mr. Whiskers dead? He would be like twelve now, right? I —

…

Well… In the case that he’s still alive, I think I just saw his long lost Greek cousin. Professor Whiskers, maybe.

[Laughter.]

Alright, Pen. Talk soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

August 27th, 2015 - 2:13 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. Just saw your text. Yes, I landed safely. Yes, Madrid is beautiful. No, I have yet to try the paella — but I promise you’ll be the first to receive my review.

[Laughter.]

I’ll call you later once I get a bit more settled. Bye Pen.

~~~~~~~~~~

October 18th, 2015 - 9:20 PM

To: colin ✈️

From: pen ✨✨

Hey. I just finished reading over the Italy piece. It was good. Like, really good… But perhaps one too many cheese puns?

…

Anyway… Call me back when you have the chance. You still haven’t told me about Caffè Florian. [Laughter.] Do they even stock enough sugar for your tea?

…

Okay, well… Goodnight Colin.

~~~~~~~~~~

November 23rd, 2015 - 7:39 AM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen.

Sorry. I know it’s early. But I also know today is gonna be shit so, uh…

…

Call me later, if you can.

~~~~~~~~~~

December 16th, 2015 - 10:01 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. I’m calling from Paris and —

I don’t know why I said that. [Laughter.] Obviously you know I’m in Paris. But, I — I was just watching the tower light up and I had a sudden memory of you telling me you wanted to come here once and I…

…

I could be misremembering. [Faint laughter.] It was a while ago, I think. But I think you’d like it here. I’ll tell you all about it at that surprise Welcome Home/Birthday/Christmas Eve Party that I know absolutely nothing about.

Night, Pen. See you soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

February 14th, 2016 - 9:27 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. I hate to admit it, but I am only just now realising that time zones exist and that if it’s 9:30 in New York, it’s…

…

Shit. 2:30 in London.

I apologise for ringing you in the middle of the night —

Actually — no I don’t. If I recall correctly, you’re up writing or reading or procrastinating until at least 3 AM every night anyway. Please call me back ASAP with your own apology for dodging this very important phone call.

~~~~~~~~~~

April 7th, 2016 - 8:08 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. I’m on the train heading into Chicago. My computer just died, so I apologise in advance for the stream of consciousness bullshit I’m about to leave for you in this message. But, um…

There’s something about being on this train that has me thinking about travel and distance and —

Good god, this already sounds corny. Sorry. Bear with me a moment.

…

It wasn’t until I landed in New York that I realised just how far away from home I was. I looked it up, and the city was about five and a half thousand kilometres away from London. I mean — god. I remember being at Eton and thinking 35 kilometres was an insane distance.

In January, New York was the furthest place I had ever been from home. Then I went to Toronto, and that became the furthest place I had ever been from home. Now I’m heading into Chicago and —

I don’t know. There’s something about being on a train that’s making me hyper-aware of just how fast I’m hurdling forward. How, every second, I’m travelling even further and further away from the pinpoint where I’ll always measure my distances from. I —

[Tired laughter.]

I’m not sure where I’m going with this, honestly. Nonetheless, thank you for lending me your future ear — assuming you actually made it this far. I —

…

Oh — I see the city up ahead. Once I get to my hotel, perhaps I can try to turn this bullshit into something a bit less corny.

I’ll call you tomorrow. Night, Pen.

~~~~~~~~~~

June 6th, 2016 - 6:15 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen.

Guess who’s flight just took off without him? I know — shocking, coming from such an experienced traveller such as myself. But my connecting flight was delayed so I really can’t take any of the blame.

…

Anyway… I’m stuck in Terminal E of Logan International, where I’ll likely be spending the next several hours dying from boredom and eating as many bags of crisps as I can get my hands on. If you aren’t too busy, maybe you can call me back and help with the boredom bit.

Talk soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

August 7th, 2016 - 12:49 PM

To: colin ✈️

From: pen ✨✨

Hi! I was just looking at your pictures from Cyprus and I —

[Distant clap of thunder.]

Oh. [Laughter.] I was wondering what it’s like to be in beautiful, sunny weather in the middle of the summer. Must be devastating.

~~~~~~~~~~

September 21st, 2016 - 8:30 AM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. I was just reading back your notes on my piece and I’m a little confused about the last one.

What the fuck does “too many food puns” mean? The only reason I came to Hungary was to capitalise on its pun potential.

Please call me back ASAP so we can get this sorted.

~~~~~~~~~~

December 24th, 2016 - 12:02 AM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen.

Sorry, I know it’s late. But I’m also waiting around doing absolutely nothing, so I thought I would check in.

I’m still in Sweden. But we’ll, uh — we’ll probably take off in the morning once the snow lets up. I —

…

I can’t believe it’s been six months since I’ve seen you. Since I’ve seen anyone at home. I’m a little worried that I’ll get home tomorrow and find that Greg now towers over me. Hyacinth called me last week just to complain about his latest growth spurt, so…

…

Oh shit. Sorry — I knew it was late, but I didn’t realise it's already midnight.

Merry Christmas Eve, then. I suppose it’s still technically the 23rd in London — but I suppose that doesn’t matter much when it comes to voicemails.

I feel like there’s another commemoration on this date that I’m forgetting. It’s on the tip of my tongue, but it’s so late and I’m just so bloody tired…

…

Oh well. It’ll come back to me.

Night, Pen. See you soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

May 3rd, 2017 - 11:50 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. Sorry. I didn’t realise how late it was. I —

…

Did you know that you can’t sink in the Dead Sea? The water is so dense with salt that your body will just pop up if you try to go under. You could try your absolute hardest to sink to the bottom, and it just wouldn’t let you.

I think there’s a metaphor in there somewhere. But it’s also very late and I just spent half the night staring at a Word doc and I’m starting to lose my ability to process complex thought.

…

Fuck it. I’m sending you the first draft now. It’s shit, but if you’re not too busy tomorrow, maybe you can send me your thoughts. And prayers.

…

Alright. Night Pen.

~~~~~~~~~~

August 24th, 2017 - 10:17 PM

To: colin ✈️

From: pen ✨✨

Hey! Um…

Daphne wanted me to call and remind you all not to get the groom too drunk the night before his wedding. Fair warning: if you don’t call me back within five minutes to confirm that Simon is still standing upright, she’s prepared to send Eloise in to break up the party.

~~~~~~~~~~

October 10th, 2017 - 7:54 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. Just calling ‘cause I wanted to ask if you’ve ever tried pickle soup. It sounds kind of strange but —

[Slurp.]

Good god. It’s bloody delicious. Absolutely recommend.

[Slurp.]

Talk soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

December 31st, 2017 - 10:58 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey, Pen. At the risk of sounding extremely needy…

You’re still coming tonight, right? God knows who invited her, but Cressida Cowper is here and she keeps handing me tequila shots and I really don’t —

…

Oh shit! There you a—

~~~~~~~~~~

January 19th, 2018 - 2:30 PM

To: colin ✈️

From: pen ✨✨

Hi! Just wanted to call and see how Sydney’s treating you so far. Is it weird to be experiencing summer in the middle of January?

[Laughter.]

Anyway… Call me back when you have the chance.

~~~~~~~~~~

April 20th, 2018 - 5:58 PM

To: pen ✨✨

From: colin ✈️

Hey! Good news — the baby’s here! In worse, but also extremely funny news…

Apparently El walked in while Daphne was pushing. Mum said her face literally went white before doubling over onto the floor. I —

…

Actually, I should probably go and check on her. I think they’re treating her for a concussion as we speak.

See you soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

May 24th, 2018 - 4:44 PM

To: colin ✈️

From: pen ✨✨

Hey! Sorry — can you call me back when you have the chance? I know we’re supposed to get lunch tomorrow, but Danbury just called and asked if I could come in tomorrow about the columnist position and I know we already had to postpone, but I’m worried I —

[Sigh.]

Sorry.

[Nervous laughter.]

I’m rambling. Call me back so we can discuss.

~~~~~~~~~~

June 25th, 2018 - 6:21 PM

To: pen 💛

From: colin 🤡

Hey, Pen. Just wanted to call and see how your first day on the job was. And, of course, to complain about having to travel by myself again. I almost forgot how bloody boring these layovers can be without someone there to complain about them with.

[Faint laughter.]

In person, I mean.

…

Anyway, call me when you’re free. I can’t wait to, uh —

[Cough.]

To hear about your day. Talk soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

August 22nd, 2018 - 9:09 PM

To: pen 💛

From: colin 🤡

Hey, Pen. Just calling because, uh —

Because I wanted to say hi, really.

…

Venice is good. It’s quite nice, this time of year. The weather’s starting to cool a bit. The water is calm. The food is the best in the world — but that’s not really time sensitive.

…

I really cannot stress this enough. I believe it to be a great tragedy that you have yet to eat real Italian pasta. I know you’re extremely busy with work, but if you happen to have a free weekend over the next few weeks, the door is always open.

…

Alright. Night, Pen.

~~~~~~~~~~

September 21st, 2018 - 11:51 PM

To: pen 💛

From: colin 🤡

Hey, Pen. Sorry for the late call. But I, uh —

[Faint laughter.]

I forgot how warm it is in Greece this time of year. I’m currently sitting by a river at midnight and it’s actually quite pleasant. Disturbingly so, if you ask me.

There are a few dozen other people here enjoying the weather — smoking and talking and wearing sandals, or all things. I can’t imagine anyone wearing sandals in London tonight.

…

There’s a lot I’ve forgotten about Greece. Like the cats. It’s insane, Pen. I can see three right now without even having to turn my head. I —

…

It’s just strange. I stayed here for nearly three months. That was three years ago, but still… Nothing fundamental has changed during that time. And yet…

…

And yet it feels unfamiliar to me now. But I suppose that has more to do with me — and perhaps time — than the country itself.

…

God. I sound like somebody’s grandfather. I think that’s my cue to head back to my hotel.

Night, Pen. Talk soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

December 19th, 2018 - 11:12 PM

To: pen 💛

From: colin 🤡

Hey, Pen. Sorry — I know it’s late.

I just sent you the first draft of my piece and…

I don’t know. There’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot. I tried to weave it into the story, but my readers don’t come to me for Bridgerton family history lessons, so —

[Laughter.]

Suffice to say, I left it out.

But I don’t know. I just — I keep thinking about it.

…

Did you know my grandfather was stationed here at the end of World War II? He came here in ‘44, about a year before it all went shit for the Germans. And when it did, he was given the option to leave Vienna and immediately return to London. At the time, he hadn’t been home — hadn’t seen my gran — in over three years. They wrote hundreds of letters to each other during that time — all of which are stashed in a box at Aubrey Hall, in case you were wondering. But anyway…

When the war ended, as much as my grandfather wanted to go home and see my gran’s face again, he wrote to her and asked if she would be willing to wait a little while longer. If she could stand it if he stayed here. If he remained in Vienna while the allied forces first occupied the city — to continue carrying out his duty.

She said yes. He stayed here another two years. He arrived back on English shores on April 6th, 1947. Two days later, they got married. They did at a courthouse, just the two of them together. Like they were the last two people in the world.

…

I, uh — I didn’t piece this all together through the letters alone. My dad actually told me about it a few weeks before he died. I remember asking him why granddad stayed in Vienna for so long after the war technically ended. How he could stand to stay away from the woman he seemed so desperate to return to.

I remember my dad telling me: “There are times when duty surmounts passion.” Which I didn’t understand. Mainly because I was eight and had no fucking clue what the word “surmounts” meant, but…

Now, I understand what he was trying to say. That duty and passion are separate. That my grandfather’s duty lied in war, while his passion lied with his love. That his duty went beyond his required deployment period. That he stayed in Vienna those extra two years because that’s what he felt was right, even if he would have preferred to go home and be with the love of his life.

Now, I —

…

I think my dad was wrong. He described my grandfather’s duty to his country as passionless — as if it was something he had to do when he wanted to be elsewhere. But I’ve read my grandfather’s journals from that time, and he never wrote about his life like he was carrying the weight of the world on his back. He may have been homesick and distressed at times — it was a bloody war, for god’s sake. But he — he was also proud of what he was doing. He was fulfilled. He was not drowning in a lack of passion.

I think we —

[Cough.]

I think some people, at least, have multiple passions. Passions that are at war with one another. That make it impossible to achieve everything we want all at once. Some that beg us to go home, some that beg us to stay.

I think my grandfather made a choice. I think he chose one passion for a while, and one forever. I think he knew that once they married, he wouldn’t be able to bear living without my nan ever again.

…

[Awkward laughter.]

I guess he was lucky that she was willing to wait for him.

…

[Sigh.]

Well… I believe I’ve taken up enough of your time. If you somehow managed to listen all the way to the end, I sincerely apologise for the rambling. I promise I’ll wait until Sunday to share the rest of my travel epiphanies with you.

Take care, Pen.

~~~~~~~~~~

December 20th, 2018 - 12:11 AM

To: colin 🤡

From: pen 💛

I always listen until the end.

I’ll see you on Sunday. Goodnight, Colin.

~~~~~~~~~~

January 31st, 2019 - 3:45 PM

To: pen 💛

From: colin 🤡

You know, Pen, I’m starting to suspect that you purposely ‘miss’ my calls just so you can listen back to these wonderful voice messages whenever it pleases you. And while I can understand your desire to have these recordings stashed away forever, I would selfishly prefer some actual back-and-forth between us.

I’m currently sitting outside one of the seven wonders of the world. Call me back and I’ll tell you all about it.

~~~~~~~~~~

March 21st, 2019 - 5:17 PM

To: colin 🤡

From: pen 💛

Hey! Thank you so much for your insights on my story. Danbury loved it.

Call me back when you have the chance. Thanks again!

~~~~~~~~~~

April 29th, 2019 - 7:57 PM

To: pen 💛

From: colin 🤡

Hey, Pen. Just wanted to give you a head’s up that I just sent you a draft and it’s absolute bollocks. If you can manage to turn it into something vaguely readable, I will literally fly you out here just to say thanks. And I know how much you love Thai food.

~~~~~~~~~~

June 29th, 2019 - 10:20 PM

To: colin 🤡

From: pen 💛

Hey! Sorry, I just saw that you called! And I am now remembering that you’re in Dubai and probably — hopefully — fast asleep by now so…

[Laughter.]

…

[Indecipherable noise.]

We’re, uh — We’re still out for Kate’s birthday. We’re on our way to karaoke, actually.

[Laughter.]

Thank god El is here, or else I would be worried about being the worst singer in the pub. I —

[Indecipherable noise.]

Sorry! I have to go. Call me when we’re both awake.

Lo—

[Cough.]

Um… Goodnight!

~~~~~~~~~~

October 18th, 2019 - 8:08 PM

To: colin 🤡

From: pen 💛

Did you really just send me an SOS text from Los Angeles? I admire your creativity, but this is not how you convince someone to drop everything and take an impromptu holiday with you.

…

In the event that you are in an actual emergency, please contact the proper authorities. I appreciate your commitment to the bit, but I ask that you please not sacrifice your life for it.

~~~~~~~~~~

December 9th, 2019 - 8:30 AM

To: pen 💛

From: colin 🤡

Hey, Pen.

I just finished reading your new column. Phenomenal, as always… But how the hell did you manage to sneak a pun in there? I thought Danbury had a strict policy against “superfluous literary devices.”

However you managed it… Congratulations. I couldn’t be prouder.

~~~~~~~~~~

December 19th, 2019 - 4:41 PM

To: colin 🤡

From: pen 💛

Hey! I had a work thing tonight but it just got cancelled. Any chance you want to meet at Mondrich’s?

Let me know. I’ll, um, hopefully see you soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

January 29th, 2020 - 9:22 PM

To: pen 💛

From: colin 🤡

Hey, Pen.

…

You’re the closest thing I have to a manager, right? In your professional opinion…

Would it be crazy to bail on this trip early? Give myself, uh… 48 hours to go home and grab some proper fish and chips. See Auggie and Blair. See mum. See you — obviously. London isn’t the most logical pit stop between Berlin and Prague but…

…

Yeah — you know what? It was a dumb idea. I’ve got plenty of those, so…

Call me back when you’re not too busy. Maybe I can share some more.

~~~~~~~~~~

February 14th, 2020 - 10:00 AM

To: colin 🤡

From: pen 💛

Good morning!

Is it still morning in Prague? I —

[Faint laughter.]

I suppose that doesn’t matter much when it comes to voicemails. I, um —

I’m doing some research on old churches. Which — don’t ask. But I’m currently sitting on the steps outside St. Bride’s Church. I don’t know if you’d recognise it, but it’s the one downtown that, um —

[Laughter.]

The one that looks like a wedding cake.

I think you’d like it. And not just because of its food-shaped exterior.

It’s actually considered a church for writers. And for publishers. It got that reputation back in the 17th century, when the publishing industry was booming here on Fleet Street. But, regardless of all that…

It’s really quite an interesting building. I can see why it’s attracted and inspired so many great writers over the years.

Maybe we can check it out the next time you’re in town. Which is…

God. June, I think?

…

Anyway… I’m still at the very beginning stages of my research, so I barely know what it is I want to write about yet. But one thing that’s stuck out to me so far is how old these buildings feel. How the architecture, the acoustics, the artwork, the —

…

Honestly? I’m not sure exactly what does it, but something makes these buildings feel as though they’ve stood here forever. This particular church has only been here about 350 years. But still… You feel all that time when you walk through its halls.

It’s a good reminder, I think. To know how long things last.

…

Wow. So this is how it feels to be on the other side of these long, rambling, stream of consciousness voicemails.

[Faint laughter.]

Bye, Colin. Thank you for lending me your future ear.

~~~~~~~~~~

March 11th, 2020 - 5:55 PM

To: colin 🤡

From: pen 💛

Hi! I just got off my train. I assume you’re still in the air, so just text me whenever you land.

Hopefully the airport wasn’t too chaotic, but um…

…

I’ll meet you at the hotel. I —

I can’t wait to see you.

#bridgerton #polin #fanfiction #weepingfromacedartree #fanfic #ao3 #ten milestones #penelope x colin #penelope featherington #colin bridgerton

12 notes · View notes

theintrovertbean · 1 year

Note

Hey there 👋 I would like to request a one shot. If your up for it, if not no pressure ☺️

*****

Nadia overnight work related stuff and MC walking in and finds her on her table still working holding a cup of coffee. hair messy and all her notes are everywhere

Nadia seeing MC and says " oh!, Good morning dear want some coffee?"

mc then takes the coffee out of her hand then guides her back to their bed and spends quality time together before Nadia falls asleep on top of MC.

*******

My Dear Anon,

I am most sorry for delaying this beautiful ask, but I believe it was worth it. Greatness takes time to achieve, after all. And I did work on it a lot, actually. I've been writing this since the moment you sent this ask, constantly adding a few words, sentences, or even paragraphs to it.

And why? Because this is one of the most wonderful requests I have ever received, and I really wanted to do it justice. I hope that I have managed and that you will enjoy it!

Once again, I am very sorry for taking this long.

Everything That a Countess Needs

With an empty ache in their heart, MC stared at the ceiling of the Countess' bedroom. They spent the whole night alone, barely able to get any sleep. Nadia was always there. She promised she would always be there with them at night, no matter how busy she was during the day. And now it was morning, and Nadia's enormous bed felt ten times bigger in her absence.

The apprentice managed to contain their pain for now, but a wave of horrible thoughts rushed through their mind. Maybe she's hurt. No, someone would have told me. Then what if she's with someone else? It made their chest tighten in pain and fear.

But after a moment, they quickly brushed the ill thoughts away, rose from the bed, and slipped into an appropriate outfit. If Nadia doesn't come to them, then they will find her themselves. They walked to the grand door and opened it just in time to catch Portia with a tray of steaming hot coffee, freshly made from the kitchen.

"Good morning, MC!" The head maid smiled at them. "Breakfast will be served in half an hour. Do you need anything?"

"Yes, well." MC cleared their throat. "Nadia didn't come to bed last night, and I'm trying to find her. Do you know where she is?"

"Ohh." Portia's expression became painful, and she dropped her gaze to the ground. "It seems like no one told you." Oh no. The apprentice began to panic; their eyes widened in terror, and their heartbeat quickened in fear of the truth. She's hurt. "Milady went to her office last night to do some paperwork, but something urgent came up."

"I-Is she alright?" The apprentice couldn't help but ask, even if it were possibly rude, to interrupt Portia. What if the Countess got terribly hurt and-! Oh, Gods. They must find out before it's too late!

"Alright?" Portia now looked at MC, and she seemed quite surprised. "Yes, of course. She's just tired. I told her to rest, but she insisted on finishing what she had already started."

The apprentice has never felt so dumb in their entire life. How come they didn't think of that? They looked at the tray of coffee in Portia's hands and came up with an excellent idea. It is their perfect opportunity to spoil the overworked Countess. Maybe they could sneak behind Nadia and massage her shoulder while she works. "Portia, you should take a break too. Here," They took the tray from her with a smile. "I will bring it to her."

What a perfect opportunity! MC kept smiling as they approached Nadia's office, then knocked on the door and announced their arrival. "Nadi, it's me."

"Come in, dear," Nadia said in a quieter voice than usual. "Good morning, my love" She smiled as her lover entered, her voice a faint whisper.

MC almost dropped the tray when they saw the Countess in her current state. Her hair looked like an absolute mess, she had bags under her eyes, ink on her fingers, her makeup completely ruined, and yet, her smile was sweet and loving as ever. She then looked down at the mess of papers in front of her, blinked for a second longer than she should have, and her head dropped down an inch like a sleepy kitten's. Upon realization, she immediately forced her eyes open and looked at MC.

"Would you like some coffee?" She took the cup from her desk that Portia had left there earlier and a disappointed ohh left her lips when she saw that she already drank it all. "I see you brought some more," She said and set the cup down. "Would you please be a dear and bring it to me?"

"No," MC's answer came immediately and without hesitation. "Up with you, my love," They commanded to the Countess' greatest surprise. They walked to her desk and put down the tray on the farthest corner from Nadia, ensuring she wouldn't reach it. Then, they made their way to her and held out a hand for the Countess to grab.

But she hesitated, knowing too well that she still had a lot of work to do. "I can't," She told them. "I have to finish this, and then there's-"

"Nadia," The apprentice cut into the middle of her sentence. How bold, interrupting the Countess like that. Not many would dare to do the same, but MC could without facing any consequences. "You can't work in your current state, and I'm not leaving you until you take a break."

The Countess sighed. She knew too well that she shouldn't, but the magician was right. "My love," She once again began talking, but MC didn't let her speak.

"Please, Nadia," The apprentice pleaded, tempting their lover. She desperately needed a rest, and it was already too hard to force herself to work. But the Countess, ever so responsible, knew that duty comes before her needs. "Please, let me take care of you."

How could she ever refuse them?

Despite her protest, MC defeated her, and then the Countess nodded. "Okay," She whispered, the corners of her mouth turning into a weak smile. "Alright, my magician. You may take care of me."

A bright smile immediately appeared on the magician's face when Nadia took their hand and stood from her seat. She allowed herself to be taken away by MC, to be led by them to a more pleasant environment. They held her hand gently as the two of them walked through the palace hallways, taking slow, lazy steps toward the Countess' chambers.

MC pushed open the vast door of Nadia's bedroom. First, they let the Countess go inside; then, the apprentice entered too. Always so polite.

"Tell me, my dear MC, how exactly do you plan on taking care of me?" Nadia asked her lover. "Shall I call for a servant and ask them to prepare a bath? Then, we could have a spa day together." But as relaxing as it may have sounded, MC had other, much simpler plans.

"I don't think that a spa day is what you need right now, Nadi."

"Then what it is that I need, love?"

"A really good nap."

The Countess' eyes widened in surprise. "A really good nap?" Then it seemed like the tension eased from her tired shoulders, and she laughed, her sounds of joy echoing through the enormous room. "Very well, MC. Let us take a nap."

"Not yet," MC said, and then they walked to Nadia's wardrobe while the Countess watched them with interest. She yawned a few times before MC found one of her robes and made their way back to her. "Put this on, please."

And so Nadia did, but not without MC's help. The apprentice's fingers lightly brushed against Nadia's exposed skin as they took off her dress which was now only weighing her down. Usually, this would be quite an erotic experience, but neither of them had any of those intentions. Not right now. Instead, it was a sweet, loving gesture between soulmates, one helping out the other while she needed it.

A hand slid from the Countess' abdomen to her waist as MC walked behind her, then soft lips pressed against her shoulder, sending a shiver down her spine. The hand then left, and the lips were no longer in contact with her skin. Light as a feather and gentle as a lover, MC helped Nadia into her robe.

Her eyes followed MC's movements and watched them approach Nadia's dressing table. They pulled out the plush chair and did it much further than necessary. "Please sit down," MC asked the Countess, and Nadia obliged without question.

With their magic, MC filled a bowl with water and grabbed the nearest rag. They dipped inside the bowl and then turned towards Nadia. Their free hand reached towards the Countess' face, fingers tenderly touching her chin and making her gaze at the apprentice. Nadia closed her eyes, enjoying the care of her lover. With their other hand, MC pressed the wet rag against Nadia's skin and began to wipe off her makeup with gentle movements.

When her eyelids were clean, Nadia opened them, looking at her MC with so much love that it made their heart flutter. There was no need for talking; the look she gave them meant more than a thousand words. Her tired but loving eyes told them everything they needed to know. As soon as MC finished, they kissed Nadia, their lips sweet and soft against her own. It was a chaste but loving kiss, something they often shared during their private and romantic moments, like a silent promise to always love and cherish each other.

The rag was placed back down on the dressing table, and MC rushed to undress and get a robe of their own while the Countess waited. The apprentice climbed into their shared bed and laid on it with such a great speed that could only be achieved by using magic.

The Prakran goddess followed her lover to bed, slowly climbing up and then settling her weight on top of them, the closeness bringing joy to both the Countess and her magician. She laid her head on MC's chest, her ear resting right above their heart. The soft beating brought her much-needed comfort and calmed her. A yawn escaped her mouth, and MC kissed the top of her head.

"Sweet dreams, Nadi," The apprentice whispered.

"Thank you for everything, MC. I love you," The Countess mumbled, her eyes closed and already half asleep.

A few fingers tangled into her violet hair, the digits lovingly playing with the soft locks. "And I love you too. More than you can imagine, my heart."

It wasn't a good nap that Nadia needed.

It was MC and their loving care.

#arcana nadia #nadia arcana #nadia satrinava #nadia the arcana #the arcana nadia #countess nadia #nadia x apprentice #nadia x mc #fluff

77 notes · View notes

fiveappendages · 9 months

Note

leans on the table//

so I see you’re an enjoyer of Nobody SCP 👁️👁️

looking with big eyes I’m so so normal about the GOI

FROLICS AROUND THE ROOM . yes i love them o much its unreal. i uh

yeah.

i cannot resist th appeal of "mysterious well-dressed man(?) that shows up to [REDACTED]". and i love that they're very vague and probably involved in Whatever the hell they want to be involved in. simply amazing. Universal Motherfucker. all moral alignments and none at once!!!

i also really love the dresscode. im a huge sucker for SUITS i lvoe suits

side note i'm a HUUUGE fan of the canons that have them be some sort of weird, mostly benevolent, sometimes silly, sometimes somber entity like the 4999-body canon, this, and the iconic oneiroi janitor take. top ten tales of all time.

sorry this paragraph is very incomprehensible but yes hi hello. I am indeed Quite fond of that fictional entity from hit web series SCP Foundation, designated "Nobody"

#ghe mental illness broke free from my head when i receiived this ask #I HAVE BEEN. LOOKING FOR SO LONG FOR OTHERSALSO OBSESSED WITH THEM.#IM SOOOO NORMAL GRRRRRRGHV

11 notes · View notes

kazscrows · 1 year

Text

Six of Crows Reread 🪶

Chapter 29: Matthias

Kaz knows he doesn’t even have to threaten Matthias in anyway. He’ll help them just for Nina’s sake at this point

The boys in this series really do have it bad for their love interest don’t they

Simps 💕

“Water everywhere,” said Wylan. “Do the fountains symbolise Djel?”

“The wellspring,” mused Kaz, “where all sins are washed clean.”

“Or where they drown you and make you confess,” Wylan said.

Jesper snorted. “Wylan, your thoughts have taken a very dark turn. I fear the Dregs may be a bad influence.”

Or Wylan is just like this

I like that Matthias points out that the climbing is extremely easy for both Kaz and Jesper, but not Wylan

Poor kid has no upper body strength yet

They rig him up a sling to slide across

But now his thoughts were muddied with these thugs and thieves, with Inej’s courage and Jesper’s daring, and with Nina, always Nina. He couldn’t deny the relief he’d felt when she’d emerged from the incinerator shaft, dishevelled and gasping, frightened but alive. When he and Wylan had pulled her out of the flue, he’d had to force himself to let her go.

Helnik ❤️

And lol Kaz is noticeable absent from his praising thoughts

While on the way to the magic tree:

“All this to be a witchhunter?” Kaz said behind him. “The Dregs need a better initiation.”

“This is only one part of Hringkälla.”

“Yes, I know, then a tree tells you the secret handshake.”

“I feel sorry for you, Brekker. There is nothing sacred in your life.”

There was a long pause, and then Kaz said, “You’re wrong.”

He’s thinking about Inej I bet

Or maybe avenging Jordie

I do think that Kaz very much so wants to believe in something

Also.. what is the Dregs initiation? Is it usually just getting the tattoo?

“Were you always good at locks?”

“No.”

“How did you learn?”

“The way you learn about anything. Take it apart.”

“And the magic tricks?”

Kaz snorted. “So you don’t think I’m a demon any more?”

“I know you’re a demon, but your tricks are human.”

“Some people see a magic trick and say, ‘Impossible!’ They clap their hands, turn over their money, and forget about it ten minutes later. Other people ask how it worked. They go home, get into bed, toss and turn, wondering how it was done. It takes them a good night’s sleep to forget all about it. And then there are the ones who stay awake, running through the trick again and again, looking for that skip in perception, the crack in the illusion that will explain how their eyes got duped; they’re the kind who won’t rest until they’ve mastered that little bit of mystery for themselves. I’m that kind.”

“You love trickery.”

“I love puzzles. Trickery is just my native tongue.”

This paragraph is really quite a deep dive into Kaz’s mind

He’s such a complex character

He sees just about everything in life as a lie he just hasn’t figured out yet

This is also getting me excited to see Freddy and Callahan do the Kaz and Matthias dynamic. They have said they’re looking forward to it themselves

Fingers crossed for season 3 or even better: a Crows spin-off!!

The reality of the situation struck Matthias suddenly. Kaz hadn’t picked up the rifle. Matthias had a gun in his hands, and Kaz Brekker was unarmed. They were standing over the bodies of two unconscious drüskelle, men who were supposed to be Matthias’ brothers. I can shoot him, Matthias thought. Doom Nina and the rest of them with a single act. Again, Matthias had the strange sense of his life viewed the wrong way up. He was dressed in prison clothes, an intruder in the place he’d once called home. Who am I now?

And you know what? He doesn’t shoot him

I really really like this scene

Matthias lowered his weapon.

A faint smile touched Kaz’s lips. “I wasn’t sure what you’d do if it came down to this.”

“Neither was I,” Matthias admitted. Kaz lifted a brow, and the truth struck Matthias with the force of a blow. “It was a test. You chose not to pick up the rifle.”

“I needed to be sure you were really with us. All of us.”

“How did you know I wouldn’t shoot?”

“Because, Matthias, you stink of decency.”

“You’re mad.”

“Do you know the secret to gambling, Helvar?” Kaz brought his good foot down on the butt of the fallen soldier’s rifle. The gun flipped up. Kaz had it in his hands and pointed at Matthias in the space of a breath. He’d never been in any danger at all. “Cheat.”…

Kaz is just. So. Cool—

He’s such a little turd

I love him

“One day you’ll run out of tricks, demjin.”

“You’d better hope it’s not today.”

First | Previous | Next

#six of crows #matthias helvar #kaz brekker #jesper fahey #inej ghafa #nina zenik #wylan van eck #reading #books #leigh bardugo #kazscrows #kazscrowsreadssoc #shadow and bone #grishaverse #soc

27 notes · View notes

hetalianskywalker · 12 hours

Text

Day 29: The Heir

Pairing: Mer Boba Fett x Kiffu Reader

Summary: Boba is sent to your village for a time to keep him safe.

Author’s Note: Best to read Day 28 first or this will make no sense. The reader from that fic s referred to as mom by Boba. Sorry. Also this man kept fighting me for the brain cell. I kept writing a paragraph and then I would get distracted.

Warnings: Using a dead body to bring someone back to life. I think that’s it.

Words Count: 1398

Prompt: Our little village is kind to the sea and beloved in return. I am ten when it gives us its child to raise, and my fate is forever sealed.

Prompt 2918 by deepwaterwritingprompts

Boba feels out of it for lack of a better term. Reality doesn’t quite feel real anymore and, with what has happened in the last 24 hours, it’s not hard to understand why.

His dad died. Right in front of him even though Jango had been warned multiple times how this would be his end. Boba had half considered yelling that at his body when they got him on Slave I.

Next, there was the ritual. To his mom’s credit, she had tried to force him below deck, but he wouldn’t have it. Boba knew he could force her hand this time; the ritual had to happen before a certain stage of decomposure. Slave I had even tried to force him below, but Boba was and always will be stubborn. He would soon wish he had listened.

By the end of the ritual, his father was breathing, but not awake. And his poor mother was no longer herself. Even though she was happy Jango was alive, her reaction to her human body and loss of magic was devastating.

“What have I done?” The wail made his whole body shiver; it was unnatural not to hear a hawk’s screech leave her mouth. “I can feel this body dying. How do humans live like this?”

All Boba could think to do was hold her, wrapping his mother in the tightest hug he could. He was so happy his dad was alive, but to see her suffer for it was its own form of agony.

Once she had calmed, then came figuring out what to do next. It took a soul sometimes years to cross back after being absorbed into magic. His father wouldn’t wake for a long time.

“You have to take him back to Mandalore.” Boba states more than asks and his mom nods.

“The stronger Sea magic there will help him heal faster…” She leaves the ‘I hope’ unsaid for both their sanities. However, they both sit together silently for a long time; neither wanting to admit what has to happen next.

Boba is the heir and his powers won’t appear until his thirteenth birthday. Sith hells, he doesn’t even have access to his Mer form yet. Death Watch will certainly try to kill both him and Jango to seize the power of the Sea Alor for themselves.

Boba doesn’t want to be separated from his parents, but he knows it has to be done. The disdain for his situation lingers as Slave I sympathetically creeks.

“I’m so sorry, Boba.” She whispers and, after everything that has happened, he allows himself to fall apart.

“Don’t apologize.” Boba hiccups. “You’re the only one who has done nothing wrong, mom.”

Your little village is kind to the sea and beloved in return. You are ten when it gives its child to raise, and your fate is forever sealed. He arrives on an empty ship and everyone can tell the sea heir is exhausted. You leave him be for a few days.

Most people here handle him with reverence and distance at first. You become the first to attempt friendship, but he is cold and uninterested. He’s not mean about it though so you keep trying.

You find your first success in just sitting together and reading side-by-side. He studies almost as much as he trains for combat. Most are even too intimidated to interrupt him unless there is a letter from his mother or food is ready. But he’s a good kid for the most part and doesn’t cause trouble around the village.

“It’s Boba.”

“What?” You pause halfway through your book. You turn to look up at him and find for once his eyes aren’t angry. You know he’s not mad at anyone here, but it’s that kind of vengeance that can sometimes burn more than just your enemy.

“You can call me Boba.” He says with an annoyed sigh. Your eyes widen and a giant grin passes along your face.

“So we’re friends now?” Boba snorts in response to your enthusiasm.

“Don’t push it.”

Training together gains you a lot more ground in the friendship department. You are originally from the island Kiffu so you're not starting from scratch like most of the other children. Many days are spent sparring and cackling together on the beach.

Then his thirteenth birthday comes. Most Mer children take a month or so to slowly transition into their Mer form for the first time. However, it makes sense the next Sea Alor would be different. He seems transfixed and just walks out into the water until he vanishes beneath the waves.

You grow worried when it takes him a while to surface. “Boba?”

You watch him suddenly jump out of the water. His fin looks like pure jade and you can’t help but stare in complete awe. Boba practically glows with pride as he tries out his new abilities. However, a deep sadness etches itself in your stomach; soon he will be gone.

That night he wishes everyone in the village goodbye. It is also the first time he has ever hugged you. You freeze up before immediately squeezing him back; your composure completely falls apart as you cling to him.

“I will see you again. I promise.” Boba says gently as he pulls away. You want so badly to ask him to stay, but after being separated from his parents for so long, you’re not about to be selfish like that.

“So stop crying. Okay, little one?” You instantly glare at that stupid nickname.

“Don’t choke on your ego, Boba.” You can see his shoulders shake with laughter as he walks onto Slave I. As he sails away, you finally notice that the last exchange has stopped your tears.

You would not meet Boba again for many years. You would hear things on your travels as a bounty hunter, but that was it. How the Sea Alor was back in power and the empire didn’t have the might to face the combined power of the natural Mer and the now regular aging Mer clones. While there was currently no outright war, it was only a matter of time before the Emperor got greedy.

Stories circulated specifically about Boba as well. His powers only continued to grow. In fact, in between helping sabotage the empire, he was competing with Cad Bane for the spot as the top bounty hunter.

“Show off.” You mutter to yourself even though you hope he wins. Cad bane is an asshole in general; after working with him once you vowed you would never do that again.

You take another shot and enjoy the burn as it goes down. You are currently in between jobs and taking a night to relax. Even a little tipsy, you feel a pair of eyes on your back that had been there too long. You had waited a while for them to get bored, but now you finally turn to face them.

“Boba?” Dark green enchanted armor shines in the low light of the bar. He gives you a sly smile as he slowly makes his way through the room. He braces his hands on the counter as his eyes scan over you. The silence makes you want to squirm and you barely contain it.

“You’re a hard person to find.” He leans in close. “Little one.” This time you squirm and Boba smirks in response.

“I’m not so little anymore, Fett.” You say, trying to hold onto your pride. He sits down in the seat beside you and arches an eyebrow as he waves the bartender over. Boba points to your drink and you nod before he orders you another.

“I disagree.” Boba teases and you glare at him. When the drinks are brought over, you toast to one another before he gets to the meat of the situation.

“I could use a partner for the bounties ahead.” He states, reaching up to touch your face. You lean into it as you smile back.

“My pleasure. Try and keep up, your highness.” You whisper, leaning in closer. To your surprise, Boba wraps his arms around you. You relax into his touch and return the hug. “One day I’ll get you to say something nice to me.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, little one.” Even as he teases you, you enjoy the affection and love that he can’t quite tell you verbally.

#star wars #the clone wars #boba fett #boba fett x reader #mermay #mermaid au

4 notes · View notes

lastbluetardis · 9 months

Text

It's me. Hi.

(I'm the problem, it's me.) Sorry, I couldn't resist a TSwift reference. (Not sorry at all lmao)

I just wanted to check in and say hi! I've sort of disappeared into the ether for the past year/year and a half, emerging every now and then to shitpost or post a chapter of whatever I happened to be writing.

Small life update: I've been working at a university in Maryland as a chemistry professor, mostly teaching general chemistry, but also a bioanalytical chemistry laboratory class. My contract was initially for one year (2022-2023 school year), but I've been renewed for a second year 🥳

Employment is obviously super great, but I genuinely enjoy my job, which is a huge bonus. Sometimes my students get on my nerves, but on the whole, they're good eggs. I'm so much happier than I was in grad school (it was scarily touch-and-go for a while there during my worst months, but then I got on meds and things started getting better). Here's to hoping the university wants to keep me around and will eventually transition me to a more long-term contract rather than a year-by-year basis 🤞

I still have my kitty, Hydie (for those who are new, that's short for Hydrogen...she was my first cat, after all). She just turned ten years old this past spring, but she's still incredibly sweet and playful (only with me, as she hates everyone else 😂) Here is a sleepy Hydie blep:

Otherwise, I've been just chilling and playing video games. Destiny 2, Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West, The Last of Us 1 & 2, Elden Ring, and more recently Diablo 4 and Remnant 2 have been my favorites to play or replay. I'm very much looking forward to Baldur's Gate 3 when it released on PlayStation next month!

My writing spark has dimmed quite a bit, so I haven't written much these last few months. A paragraph here and there, maybe a thousand or so words if I happen to catch a good day. But I'm not forcing it. In grad school, I used writing as a distraction and a way to disengage and dissociate from the world, and while that probably saved what was left of my sanity, I want to build healthier habits with writing. I'm just not sure what those habits look like yet. I'll get there eventually. I love writing too much to completely toss in the towel.

Anyways, this post got longer than I meant it to, but I wanted to check in with everyone and give a little life update. I'm hoping to engage on this hellsite a bit more; I've retreated from many online friendships I've cultivated, and I'm sorry about that.

That's it for now, I'll catch y'all later 💜

#life update #greetings friends #personal post

8 notes · View notes

acefaun · 1 year

Text

Leon~ Heir

Synopsis: You’re the daughter of the King and you’re next in line for the throne. However, you were literally born yesterday and need to learn a thing or two before you can handle ruling the Heavens. At least the god of Leo is there to provide you with help whenever you seemingly need it.

✨Masterlist✨ Female goddess MC!

A/n: I don’t know where this idea came from… but here! It’s yours now! Also… Copying and pasting made some of the paragraphs squish together on Tumblr, so I hope it's readable and not confusing overall!

–Word Count: 8,619–

"The King is very busy, he can't keep his attention on them all the time. That's why we've been tasked to do it. I'd say they're growing quite well."

"Do you think they'll be a god or a goddess?"

"I hope she's a beautiful goddess~ ow!"

"There will be no disrespecting the heir to the throne. His Highness entrusted us with serving, educating, and caring for them. There will be absolutely no love games. The heir is going to rule the Heavens one day, they can't be tied down by frivolous bonds."

"I always knew you were a square with a stick up your-"

"They moved."

"You're seeing things. They didn't- Hold on. No, you're right. They did move. The water's rippling."

"Should we help them out?"

***

Where was I? There were fuzzy noises around me and I felt like I should know them but they were too far away. I brought my hand to my face, realizing that the reason I was moving so slowly was because I was submerged in water. How did I end up there? I didn’t remember going underwater. Then again… I didn’t remember much. Yet, there were a lot of thoughts scattered in my mind.

Looking up toward the surface of the water there was a bright light. The surface must be there... So I pushed myself off of the bottom of the pool. The surface wasn't as far as I anticipated but it was still a shock to change from breathing underwater to breathing air.

I blinked a few times, taking time to adjust myself to where I was, not fully pulling myself out of the water just yet. But as my eyes adjusted and the surrounding sounds became clearer, I realized there were twelve men kneeling before me. The only problem was that I couldn't understand what a single one of them was saying. My hearing still wasn't working.

Pushing myself out of the pool, it surprised me to find how weak my body was. I barely caught myself on the edge of the pool before there were hands that aided me to escape the water. "Young heir..."

"She's beautiful..."

"Don't stare!"

I could hear them now... But I didn't understand what was going on just yet. The one with the ponytail who had caught me snapped his fingers and suddenly there was a dress draped around me. I hadn't noticed, but was I nude before? Everyone else was wearing clothes, so it must have been normal to not be naked.

“I'm terribly sorry, heir, we hadn't anticipated your arrival to be quite like this." The man with the ponytail continued to address me, trying to explain everything regarding me. "Our first task as your guardians is to introduce you to your home. Your soul has been created by the universe and the King of Heavens has granted you this vessel to one day be our ruler. You are his heir. You have much knowledge on the ways of the universe, things you don't understand, but we will guide you and show you your place." He started by introducing me to the twelve gods in the room. It made sense that they were gods, I had the knowledge all in my head. I knew everything there was to know about the universe. The King—my father?—gave me all that I needed to know. The only thing I lacked was the discipline and experience to use my knowledge and these twelve powerful gods were going to show me all that they knew.

***Ten Years Later***

I was ten. The other gods paid no attention to their ages, but it was something the humans tended to do, and I thought it was cute. Of course, I was a goddess that appeared much older than ten. I certainly had more knowledge than a thousand year old god could have. But I, with my vast knowledge, knew there was more about the world that I wanted to see and do—more than the other gods were ready to show me at once.

So, rather than showing up to Zyglavis' hundredth etiquette lesson this week, I snuck away to the fountain of love. It was a natural reflection pool, and it was the most beautiful place in the Heavens. I found myself there more often than not, trying to learn more about these humans that I was growing too interested in. I wanted to visit Earth more than anything. Mortal lives were so simple and less daunting than having the entire Heavens depending on you being the perfect heir.

"I thought I'd find you here." My eyes flitted up, and I found Huedhaut standing at the entrance. "You love these humans so much... You'll make a great Queen one day. You'll make everyone happy with how compassionate you are." He had an affectionate look on his face as he joined me beside the fountain. "I know that there are other things you would rather explore, but you are the heir to the throne, first and foremost. Your duties are important. Zyglavis was furious when you didn't show up."

"His lessons are boring and he's always so strict." I commented softly, deftly tracing ripples into the surface of the water. I didn't detest Zyglavis and the other gods... but there was more to my life than the palace. "I know he means well, but I want to learn more about the universe I come from. Gods and humans... The universe is such a big place. Do we have to be so distant?"

"I'm sure Zyglavis has read the rules enough for you to have memorized them by now."

I pouted, sitting back from the water. "I think you're forgetting the time he made me hand write the laws of the Heavens until I could recite them without missing a single word. He didn't even let me get one wink of sleep that week."

Huedhaut chuckled in amusement. "Silly, heir. Gods don't need sleep."

"Aigo sleeps whenever he wants." I huffed, crossing my arms as I slouched grumpily. "Besides, you guys get to go down to Earth whenever you want. Why can't I go?"

"Your place is in the Heavens, (Name). You're going to rule all of this one day. It's our job in the Department of Punishments and the Department of Wishes to make sure the Earth is taken care of. That should be the last thing on your mind." I knew he was right but I couldn't stop myself from sighing.

I loved watching the Wishes gods grant wishes and the Punishments gods set humans back on the right track. Leon seemed indifferent about his job, but I knew he cared. I wish someone could grant my wishes. I'd either want to have a useful heavenly job or go down to Earth and be a human.

***Another Ten Years Later***

"You have several appointments today. After your formal studies you're to meet with the tailor. They're going to be finding a suitable dress for your appearance at the festival in a few days. Considering they don't take too much time with you, we should make it in time for you to go over the layout for the festival yourself and see if any changes should be made. Afterwards, Zyglavis wants you to meet with him so you can continue your lessons on palace-"

"Karno," I interrupted him, making him glanced at me from the list in his hands. Usually he held a Wishes list, but today he was busy keeping my schedule. "How many tasks are there today?"

His lips pursed as he tried to summarize what he read over, "Much. But, most of it is for the festival. It's only days away. Time can't be wasted for-"

"I'm tired." I replied, hiding my sadness behind indifference. "Can't we do this another day?"

Karno sighed. He knew my typical antics to get out of duties. "The gods in the Heavens are looking forward to seeing you at the Festival. Imagine what your gods might think if the festival is a disaster."

I looked away from him, my eyes trailing over the beautiful sky. "I know for a fact that none of you would allow the festival to be a disaster. Why is it always my shoulders carrying the extra weight that literally any servant could handle?"

"We don't approve of you blowing off your work, (Name). You're getting worse than Leo."

"Then maybe he should be the heir!"

"Please, lower your voice before you draw attention," Karno implored, crossing his arms. "Leon wasn’t chosen. You were created specifically for the purpose of ruling. You must understand your position."

"I don't," I snapped, losing my patience. It was rare that I threw any sort of tantrum, but the way they always compared me to the great and glorious Leon continuously struck a nerve in me. "I don't want to be in this position! Just give it to Leon if he's so perfect!"

"Honestly, I could hear your yelling from down the hall. Are you already giving Karno a hard time?" I shut my eyes at Zyglavis' voice. He was the last person I wanted to see after how I was deliberately avoiding him this week.

But Karno didn't help as he explained, "She doesn't want to complete her duties. We're already running late for the dressing."

Zyglavis turned his glare to me. "It's important that you look presentable for the festival. Making a fool of the King will not be tolerated."

"I honestly can't stand this," I muttered under my breath. I tried my best to refrain from hating anything, but I was coming close to losing my nerve. "Leon's so smart, Leon's so perfect. Why not just pick Leon already instead of comparing me to him all the time?!"

"This behavior is disgraceful." Zyglavis inclined his head in displeasure. He was always doing this to me and I was getting sick and tired of it. "You are heir to the throne and a member of the palace. When are you going to act like it?"

"No one ever listens to me," I complained. Before either of them could reply, I snapped, "I didn't ask to be heir! I didn't ask for any of this! I didn't ask to be made, for people to tell me what to do every second of my life! I hate this! I hate living in the palace!" Zyglavis called my name as I stormed away, but I wasn't about to turn around. I let out a small noise of discomfort as I ran into someone who was turning the corner. Looking up, I then glared at the god. Leon was staring down at me, confused with my murderous glare—though, glancing at Zyglavis and Karno told him what was going on. He still wasn't prepared when I snapped at him too, "I hate you, stupid lion!" His eyes were wide as I shoved past him. I was really the only one in the Heavens with the nerve to treat him the way I did.

Anywhere I went, I knew they would find me. There was only one place I could think of where they wouldn't bother to look—and then how long would it take for Leon to look for me there himself? I was familiar with the door that led to Leon's special place. He once showed it to me when I was getting overwhelmed with the other gods and said that I needed a place to calm down and be alone. It was the perfect place to stay for the rest of my life. They would never again lecture me, I could sleep all I wanted, I could even make a reflection pool and watch the humans if I wanted to.

I sat in the grass, looking over at the lake. I didn’t feel like I wanted a lot out of life, but all that I wanted was an impossibility with these gods. In a fit of rage, I even told Leon I hated him. When, truthfully, I just hated how perfect he was, how powerful he was. I could never be like him, so why was I destined to be ruler and not him? The other gods seemed to prefer him; They were always comparing us. They would tell me I was just like him when I misbehaved and tell me I needed to be more like the Minister of Wishes when I wasn't up to their standards.

A sudden presence entering the calm space made me hide behind bushes. It was too soon for them to find me and drag me back.

"I know you came in here. Karno told me what happened; I'm not here to give you a lecture." Leon paused, waiting for me to come out. But seeing that I wouldn't budge, he continued, "You don't like it here. They're pushing things on you that you're not ready for. You're young and life in the palace is the last thing you want."

"What would you know?" I grumbled, staring down at the grass. "You're perfect for the palace. You have enough power to surpass the king. You're the proud, wild lion of the Heavens. Why am I being forced into this when the Heavens has everything it needs? I hate..." I trailed off quietly before whispering, "I hate being compared to you all the time."

"Come sit with me," Leon offered softly. Peeking out from behind the bush, Leon was facing away from me, watching the lake as he sat amongst the flowers. Awkwardly, I moved over to where he was and plopped down beside him, refusing to glance at his expression. "I heard what you said to Karno. I guess we have more in common than you think. I never asked to be a Minister. In fact... I was young too when I was granted this position. It's lonely. I can imagine what you must be feeling because I was there before. I didn't ask to be this powerful either. It's a lot of responsibility. I know… because I was supposed to be King."

My eyes widened at his admittance. “S- Seriously?” I was only twenty, but I still had to carry the high expectations of the other gods as if I were like Leon. But Leon was way older than me with a lot more experience. "If you were going to be King then why was I even made?! I don't even belong here!"

"Don't say that," Leon pursed his lips as he glanced at me. Our eyes locked for a moment. "I can't tell you why the universe created an heir. You have a lot of questions that I never had the answers to. I used to ask them too. Why was I the most powerful god created? My purpose was greater than me. You're just repeating everything I've ever been through. It's only harder on you because you were created through Heavenly powers. You're expected to be different."

"I am different..." I replied quietly. "I'm reminded of it all the time. But now I understand why I was always compared to you of all people…” I ducked my head, staring down at the grass. He didn’t deserve my wrath. “I'm sorry I said I hated you."

"You had every right to. It's not like it's any fun to be compared to someone who has thousands of years of experience over you." He understood exactly what my thoughts were on the situation. I flinched as his hand rested on my head. It was rare that another touched me, let alone show me affection like this. It felt nice. "I've been watching you for a long time and I can't help but get the feeling that this isn't where you belong. If the universe itself created your soul then you should know more than anyone where you want to be. So tell me, what does your soul want? What do you desire from the universe?"

My eyes glittered, looking at Leon with admiration. He was the first, in all my years of existence, to ask me what I wanted. "I... want to be myself. I want to leave the palace. I want to see more of the universe with my own two eyes. I want to know my place in all of this, but I want to learn it for myself."

"Your presence makes that difficult." Leon responded slowly, making my heart sink in disappointment. But his lips curled up at my premature reaction as he added, "But I can help you. If you stay with me I can mask your presence with my own. First... we'll need to give you an appropriate disguise. You'll be a handmaiden of mine. You'll come to Earth with me. However, there's going to be one condition." My willing eyes told him I would accept his condition without hesitation. "You can't speak with the other gods. They'll recognize you easily."

He was planning how he was going to take me to Earth, but I was just filled with too much excitement. Was this real? No one ever did something like this for me. "You're really going to help me, Leo?"

I surprised him by using his nickname but his expression softened as he looked at my hopeful face. "As long as you can follow my instructions then I'll help you."

I nodded my head without restraint. "What do I need to do?"

His lips curled up, and he stood to his feet, lifting me up with him. I watched him curiously as he pulled the crown out of my hair, making my hair fall into my face. "You need to look like someone who would serve me." He snapped his fingers, making my dress appear a lot less divine than before.

I continued to watch curiously as he stripped away the fancy jewels and gold that lined my clothes. "What does someone who serves you look like?"

He tapped his chin with a pure look of concentration. But the answer was obvious. "Not like an heir. You still look too elegant..." Snapping his fingers, he changed my dress completely, sporting me with a skirt and a top with a vest that would fit me in with the Wishes Department. What surprised me were the white pants that hugged my legs beneath the skirt and the high boots. "If you look like you belong in the Department of Wishes, it should get you by." His eyes trailed over me, taking curious note of my changing expressions.

I was in complete awe of the uniform he gave me. "Is this what Wishes gods wear? The other gods won't get suspicious?"

"If you look like you belong in our department, then it won't look strange to have you following me," he explained, snapping his fingers once more. This time, the ties that held my hair back came out and my hair fell freely. But he sighed when he saw I didn't know what to do with my hair to keep it out of my face. "You're going to have a hard time being my handmaiden if you can't even take care of yourself." Snapping his fingers he transformed my crown into a hairpin, clipping my hair out of my face. "Do you think you can handle this?"

I looked up at him with determined eyes. "I'll do everything you ask. I promise."

He sighed, snapping his fingers one more time. For a moment, something light was on my head, shrouding me in darkness. I lifted it up slightly, only to have Leon wave my hands away and adjust it himself. "The last thing we need is for them to see your eyes. This cloak will additionally shroud you with my presence. Keep this on you at all times, especially once we're on Earth. Not even the King will find you as long as you're wearing this."

A giddy feeling bubbled up in my chest at the reminder that I was going to Earth. "I'm going to the human world..."

He sighed yet again and I could tell that I was making him tired with my eager mood. "If you need anything at all you're to address me by 'Lord'. Your rank is going to be low in the palace, but you shouldn't be speaking to anyone else so I don't think we'll run into many problems. Are you ready?"

I took in a deep breath, glancing at the door that would lead me back to the world I knew. But I pulled the hood back and grabbed Leon's hands, surprising him. "There's one thing before we go, Leo. Thank you so much for doing this for me. It means a lot to me."

His eyes were soft, but he smirked cockily—his usual proud expression. "I'm the Minister of Wishes. I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't also grant the wishes of the most important being in the Heavens." He tugged my hood back on my head, making sure I didn't look conspicuous as he made me obediently trail behind him.

It was different being in the palace and trying not to get caught leaving. Of course, no one was sparing me a second glance behind the popular minister. Servants would bow to Leon before scurrying on their way.

"There you are!" I flinched, nearly jumping in fright at the sudden exclamation from down the hall. Zyglavis approached with a sharp fury in his eyes. "Wild lion, where were you? Do you have any idea what kind of state we're in? The heir is missing and Karno said no one could get in contact with you." I relaxed and let out a relieved breath of air. So, he didn't recognize me. He, just like everyone else, was too focused on Leon.

Leon tilted his head and answered back simply, "I’ve been informed she’s missing. I went to search for her. She isn't hiding." My eyes widened at Leon's careless words. Was he seriously giving them hints? "I'm heading to Earth to inform the rest of my department of her disappearance. Relax, minister ponytail."

Zyglavis stepped in front of Leon before we could escape. "You're not taking this situation seriously. The King is furious."

Leon's eyes narrowed, his annoyance clearly showing in how he stood toe to toe with Zyglavis. "You know as well as I do we would all be able to sense if she were in danger. Backing her into a corner is only going to make things worse. She'll return to the palace when she's ready."

With a sharp turn, he walked past Zyglavis and I struggled to keep up with him. But Zyglavis wasn't finished. He asked with disdain in his voice, "You've spoken to her. Where is she?"

Leon's eyes flickered back to Zyglavis. "You and Karno spoke to her last. I'm returning to Earth." It wasn't like Leon needed to explain himself to Zyglavis. They were both Ministers of their own departments and their rivalry was enough to keep communications tense between them.

Still, I was concerned about the way things were looking. As we were walking to the door that led out of the Heavens, I nervously asked, "Um... Leo, this isn't going to be a problem, is it?"

He glanced back at me with a subtle shake of his head. "I'm taking responsibility for granting your wish. Now, stay close." He opened the door leading to Earth and with a single blink we were in the gods’ mansion.

I glanced around the hall. It felt similar to the Heavens, but there was definitely an Earthly feel to the place. My eyes widened, and I scrambled to catch up with Leon as he left me to take in my new surroundings. Walking into a living room, Leon was already addressing the gods there about how I was 'missing' from the palace.

Needless to say, they were very surprised to find out that I was gone. Huedhaut tilted his head in confusion. "No one has a single clue as to where she ended up? What happened?"

"Karno could answer that," Leon answered simply, not giving away too much. "He was attending to her this morning. The only news I have is that she isn't in danger, so I see no reason to panic. Just watch for her when you return to the Heavens."

"You aren't going to look for her?" Tauxolouve sounded concerned, but I found myself wondering if he was worried about me or just worried about what was going to be happening without me.

"There's no need. She'll only avoid us if we search the Heavens for her." Leon replied, languidly sitting on one of the sofas. Explaining the situation was easy, considering he used to cause Karno similar troubles. I stared awkwardly at how relaxed he was. He did remember that I was there, right? What was I supposed to do now? I couldn't just up and ask him, the other gods would recognize me. I was frozen in place, unsure of what to do.

"Leo, who's that?" I bit my tongue at Teo's new question. I wasn't supposed to speak to them.

Leon huffed in amusement, his lips quirked up. "My new handmaiden. These goddesses will do anything I ask."

"She's so cute," Teorus said cheerily, straying from the topic of their missing heir. But he leaned closer to me, making me uncomfortable as he said suggestively, "You should serve me instead of Leo. I'll treat you way better, goddess. If you’re just with him for the pleasure, well-"

Before he could touch me, Leon was behind him, gripping his arm with a deadly gaze. "Don't touch my stuff. She serves me and me alone. I guess I need to take care of this now then." With a sharp glance in my direction, he released a surprised Teorus and walked past me. The faces of the other gods were equally surprised, but they weren't about to say anything after Leon's sudden aggressive interjection. Unsure of what was going through Leon's head, I scrambled to follow him out of the door.

"Uh… Leo?" He paused at the door waiting for me to catch up when I awkwardly asked, "What are we doing?"

"You wanted to see the Earth. Well, I'm sending you out." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world and it left me gaping at him. He snapped his fingers and my clothes were changed again into Earth clothes, the cloak around my shoulders turned into a jacket with a hood that draped over my head. The sparkling hair clip remained in my hair. "There. Now you look like a regular human."

I tilted my head, observing the jacket, "This human jacket is the cloak you gave me?"

"Yes," He nodded with serious eyes. "Remember what I said? Don't take it off." He hummed, knowing that if I ran into any gods, I'd still be in trouble. He snapped again, glasses appearing on my face. "Wear these. If you run into gods searching for you, then these will hide the stars in your eyes." He sighed, his eyes softening as he watched me.

I looked up at him adjusting the glasses on my face as I smiled at him. "You're going through a lot of trouble to help me... I'm going to repay you for this one day, I promise!"

Leon ruffled my hair, nudging me toward the door. "Go on. Don't come back until you find what you’re looking for."

I mockingly bowed to him as I shouted, "Yes, sir!" He watched as I took off eagerly through the door, starting my adventure on Earth. As long as I got what I wanted out of this and returned to the palace safely, then they couldn't really tell him anything, could they?

***

Karno barged into Leon's room on Earth, not concerned with what his Minister could be doing. Of course, it surprised him to find Leon actually doing work, but as far as Karno was concerned, work was the least important thing on his mind. "Leon, what did you do?"

Leon looked up from his reflection pool, a lazy glimmer in his eyes as he turned, returning to his bed now that his Vice Minister was there. "You don't look happy. I was doing my work for once."

Karno crossed his arms, stewing in silent anger. "You're only working because you're trying to please me and keep me from finding out what you did. Leon, why? Do you have any idea how furious the King is? The gods in the Heavens are in disarray. Honestly, can't you think before you do something?"

"You're mad at me when I don't grant wishes, you're mad at me when I do grant wishes... Can I win with you?"

Karno was getting as furious as the King with Leon's indifference. "This is serious! Do you know how obvious what you did is? You're here and there's an aura matching yours somewhere on Earth and I'm not stupid enough to believe that isn't our missing heir. What did you do?"

Leon sighed knowing Karno wouldn’t back down just because he was talking nice today; that was just how his Vice Minister was. "I hid her presence with mine and told her she could do whatever she wanted. If the Universe wanted her to be a controlled slave to us, then she wouldn't have ran off."

"This isn't about what she wants, this is about what the King wants."

Leon glared at Karno for his sudden statement. It was never about what Leon wanted either. That was why he let me go. He didn't want me to go through the same struggles as he did. He abruptly stood from where he was. "You're misunderstanding our Heir, Vice Minister. You wouldn't know the least bit about what our Heir needs. I don't care what that trickster thinks. This isn't for anyone but her. If you think you're going to stop her, then I'll have no choice but to stop you."

Karno sighed, knowing he was looking at a fight with Leon. "You didn't take any care to look at where you were actually sending her! I understand why you did this, but it was rash and you didn't think it through. I'm going find her."

"You're leaving her alone."

"I can't do that. She-"

"Then I'll have no choice."

Karno's eyes widened as he had to block a sudden attack from Leon. Trying to hold his Minister back, however, proved to be much work. He didn’t want to make Leon panic and make a further mess of things, but he had no choice but to tell him the truth of what was happening if Leo wouldn’t let him find me. "Would you just listen to me?! She's in danger! There are plants from the Under Realm growing in the Heavens! The barriers are collapsing!"

Leon paused, his eyes going wide. "Are you serious?" Now Leon was feeling the guilt of what he did. He should have gone with me instead of sending me off by myself. As if backing up Karno's words, they both suddenly felt a tug. I was scared, and I was in genuine danger. I needed help and they could feel it.

Without sparing another word, Leon ran to the foyer door, opening it up into a city. Of course, I'd have to get lost in a big place like that full of humans. He didn't wait for Karno to join him before he was taking to the skies.

***

"I'm sorry... Who did you say you were?"

The dark-haired man sighed in annoyance. "We already went over this. We're servants of the Dark King."

I hummed, nodding my head. "And what did you want again?"

"The Goddess of Fate! Where is she?!"

I blinked for a moment and shrugged my shoulders after nothing really came to me. "Sorry, who do you think I am exactly?"

The blond placed his hands on the other's shoulder. "Calm down. We'll handle this goddess." His eyes flitted back to me and he revealed what they knew. "You thought you were clever hiding your presence under those human things. But we would know you from anywhere. The Minister of Wishes, a Zodiac God. You can't fool us."

"Oh…" He was confused as I appeared disappointed. "That was anticlimactic. I thought you really had me for a second there. Okay, so you think I'm a Minister Zodiac God and you want the soul of the Goddess of Fate? You know, that's strange. I’ve actually never met the Goddess of Fate. I haven't been alive for that long, but..."

I flinched back as Crow grabbed the front of my shirt, throwing the glasses off of my face that Leon said would hide my stars. His eyes widened as I tried to push him away but he only pulled me awkwardly closer to his face. "You... YOUR EYES."

"What?" Servillah peeked from behind him, his eyes narrowing on mine. "Those stars... Foolish goddess. You'll be coming with us to the Under Realm."

"I can't do that!" I quickly argued, much to their confusion. "I'm not allowed to leave Earth. See, I was just recently given permission to come here and I won’t ruin that by leaving. Besides, you don't actually know who you're messing with. You'd avoid me at all costs if you saw my true aura."

"Stop whining," Servillah snapped, grabbing my other arm. But I couldn't let them take me away like this. I snapped my fingers in retaliation but nothing happened. He seemed pleased by the sudden development. "You ran out of power on Earth... Ha!"

Sure, my powers weren't working, but there could have been many reasons for that. I probably used too much power granting human wishes in person—it didn't help that I was in the presence of dark gods. I thought I was more powerful than that… Yes, but I was young and didn't know how to use my powers properly. I was strong but inexperienced. Zyglavis was right.

But Leon said I needed to find what I was looking for before going back to them. Did I find it? I found the inspiration to learn more about myself. But Leon could help me there, couldn't he? He was just like me, after all... If I was going to be just like him then I needed to be strong too. "I'm not going to the Under Realm!" I kicked behind Crow's legs, sending him tumbling to the ground as I turned and punched Servillah hard enough in the face to make him stumble and release me. "Dark bastards."

Crow snapped his fingers, and I flew into a brick wall, crashing down onto the concrete. It wasn't fair that they could knock me around with their powers but I couldn't do much against them. If I didn’t feel pathetic before, I certainly did as I shoved myself off of the ground.

I froze as soon as I pushed myself up. I looked down at my hands, finding blood. I'd never bled before... Was it bad? It hurt a bit. I never felt physical pain like this before either.

I looked at the two dark gods who were already on their feet. Servillah tilted his head. "Are you going to come quietly or are you going to make more trouble for us?"

I defiantly got back to my feet. I'd never had anyone talk to me like that before. I believed they were threatening me. "I don't think I'm done causing trouble here." Usually the Zodiacs handled people who were causing even the slightest bit of trouble for me. But not this time.

Part of me wished I just stayed with Leo. These guys weren't playing fair, and they weren't pulling their punches either as I failed to scare them off. Crow taunted as he noticed me struggle to get back on my feet, "Are you done already? I was hoping a powerful Minister with stars like yours would be more challenging to take."

"I'll be dead before I let you take me to the Under Realm!" I attacked them again, but it was nothing for Crow to throw me back into a building, cracking the wall with the impact. But I still got up again, blood dripping from my head and from various scrapes across my arms and legs. My clothes were torn, a reminder of my poor state.

"You might wish you were dead," Servillah threatened as he came at me once again. It was all I could do to brace for the impact but all I felt was a gust of wind and nothing hit me. "W- What the hell- This guy has the same aura! It- It’s the God of Leo!"

My eyes widened with tears of relief as Leon stood in front of me, his stance never wavering. He threatened the two startled dark gods, "You two want to disappear from this planet, or should I extinguish you here and now?"

"A real Minister?" Crow asked confused, "Then who the hell was that kid?"

Gathering up energy in his palm, Leon threw a ball of light at the two dark gods, but they quickly vanished from sight before Leon could destroy them. "Your highness, I-" The minute Leon turned around, it surprised him at how I flung myself onto him, gripping him tightly as I sobbed into his chest. His eyes softened as he laid a gentle hand on my head. I had been away from home for what felt like a long time, but I found what I was looking for and almost died because of how stupid I was. "(Name)..." I flinched at hearing him say my name… but I wanted him to say it again. He snapped his fingers, placing me back in my usual clothes, but he still didn't seem pleased with my rugged appearance.

"Leo, your highness!" No later did Karno showed up, pausing at seeing my distress. Taking a long look at me he asked Leon, "What happened?"

With his arm wrapped around me, holding me against him, he answered, "We're done on Earth. Let's go home." Snapping his fingers, he took us straight back to the mansion where he began snapping orders, "Move it! Where the hell is that fish at?!"

"I'm here! Is that... the heir?" Ichthys approached slowly, bowing his head as Leon sat me down in his chair. He made Ichthys work hard to heal all the scrapes and bruises and gashes I got from the dark gods. It was harder work since it was injuries from dark gods, but Ichthys healed me as best as he could and Huedhaut didn't hesitate to clean anything Ichthys' power couldn't fix. Partheno was also immediately fixing my hair as soon as he caught sight of what a mess it was after Leon took the disguised hair clip from me.

I knew I was going to be really in for it for running away like that, probably equally so for completely missing their festival.

As soon as I looked presentable and back to my usual royally divine self, it was in no time I was being escorted back to the Heavens. I only glanced at Leon as they walked me silently past him and through the doors to the Heavens.

I was expecting some kind of lecture as soon as Zyglavis laid those disappointed eyes on me, but he laid a hand on my shoulder and didn't say a word as he took me to the palace. They mentioned the King was furious when he found out I was missing; that didn’t mean I knew what to expect from him.

The throne room was empty upon first entering but not for long. As soon as Zyglavis left me alone in the room, a bright light engulfed the scene before the King was standing high beside his throne, his gaze dark and threatening. "My rebellious heir has finally returned." I wanted to explain, but I found myself speechless under his furious glower. "Don't you have anything to say regarding your behavior?"

I did. "I'm sorry. I made a mistake. But I had to-"

"No," he interrupted my explanation with one sharp command. "You've disobeyed the few rules I set for you. You did not have to do so. Which god aided you?"

The question made my blood run cold. Leon would get in a lot of trouble if I gave him up. This was my mistake, and I'd handle it alone. "No one. I did this on my own. The gods didn't know."

"Is that so?" He tilted his head, waving his hands toward me. I felt an immediate change within me as two silver braces clipped themselves around my wrists. "If you've betrayed my trust on your own free will, then perhaps you don't deserve to have one. Now, you'll return to your normal duties and you will not return to the human world."

These braces... they took away my free will? I learned my lesson about going to the human world; I didn't need to be shackled! "Please! I've learned my lesson! I'm young and inexperienced and I thought I knew better about what I needed but I was wrong! There are things I don't understand and I-"

"Silence." The curt command made my lips seal immediately, showing me exactly what the shackles on my wrists were meant to do. "Evidently your mistakes haven't taught you enough if you still have the will to lie to my face. If you worked alone, then I shall punish you alone."

"Your Highness!" Leon burst through the doors, Zyglavis quickly following to stop him. But Leon was determined. "I took (Name) to Earth! She was growing tired of the Heavens and so I hid her presence and took her with me. I let her go on her own without considering the consequences. I'm the one at fault here."

The King's dull eyes studied us both before he asked me, "And you, what do you have to say on this?"

As soon as I was able, I testified against Leon's words, "He didn't! He had nothing to do with this! They were doing their jobs like you told them to. Leon was the first to find me when I was in danger."

"Because he knew where you were at?"

"No! He-"

"Stop trying to take the blame," Leon hissed. "You're the heir, but I'm at fault for this. I'll take the punishment. I should have known better. I was wrong to assume that was the best course of action."

"Leo-"

"I've heard enough," the King cut the both of us off and it left me wondering which of us would be punished. "You both worked together in this scheme. It's admirable that one would try to defend the other. You," his gaze landed on me, "Are guilty for disobeying me and setting the Heavens in disarray. And you," his gaze transferred to Leon, "Are guilty for aiding my heir and helping her hide on Earth, the one place she was not to go. You both share equal guilt in this matter and I won't be fooled."

Leon scoffed. "You probably knew the minute I took her from the Heavens."

The King didn't answer, he only declared his punishment, "Now, for how you'll both be dealt with… My heir, you detest your studies and lessons, do you not?" I bowed my head with a quiet affirmative. Likely, that's what I would be set to doing the next hundreds of years of my life. "And my wild lion, you share an equal distaste for your duties." He was really nailing our least favorite activities. With those in mind, he commanded, "Considering those tasks... I will add to your work, Leon. You will grant wishes and additionally be in charge of teaching my heir how to handle her powers properly and rule the Heavens. I shall also add onto your lessons, (Name). Not only will Leon be reiterating things you've already learned, but you will learn your powers and how one is to maintain a balance between the Heavens and the Earth." Our eyes were wide as his orders seemed to stun us; even Zyglavis was taken aback by the news as he thought that this was far from a proper punishment. Smiling with an entertained smile, the King spoke once more, "This is my judgment. You will have another audience in a month's time so that I may see your progress."

I took in a sharp breath as he vanished, the cuffs around my wrists vanishing with him. Zyglavis was left gaping as Leon smirked. "Well then, it seems I have more duties to attend to and you won't be leaving my side anytime soon."

My eyes settled on Leon as I asked, "Is that okay? You won't be able to go back to Earth. I'm stuck in the Heavens again."

"Listen, wild lion," Zyglavis said with a stern grimace. "You may be in charge of her studies and her development, but we of the zodiac are still tasked with her well-being. Do not get carried away." He sighed in exhaustion. "I have much to make up for."

Curiously watching Zyglavis abandon us in the throne room, my eyes shifted back to Leon who seemed deep in thought. Though, I couldn't tell if it was Zyglavis’ words that got to him or if he was just worried about my situation. My eyebrows furrowing, I asked, “Are you upset?”

He hummed, his attention flickering back to me as if I’d asked an absurd question. “You think I’d be upset about taking you into my care?”

“Well,” I hesitated. “You won’t be able to travel down to Earth anymore and you’ll have to supervise me just like Karno and Zyglavis were…”

He interrupted me with a heavy scoff, making me trail off on my thoughts. Narrowing his eyes, he reprimanded, “The first lesson you need to get into that head of yours is to not compare me to that uptight square. You should praise your new teacher. I might not be taking you to Earth right now, but I’m not about to obsess over lists and make you study and memorize lines.”

I leaned forward, fascinated by what his words insinuated. “You mean I won’t have to read boring books anymore?”

“I have a feeling that trickster wanted this to happen…” Leon muttered, before answering me, “I’ve already been through everything you’ll need to know to lead your fellow gods. If you consider it, I’m the only book you’ll need to get by.” His expression softened as his eyes locked onto mine. “I won’t steer you wrong. As long as you're by my side, I can teach you everything. Maybe while we’re at it, I can teach you to fall head over heels for me.”

He said it in a joking manner, but he clearly wasn’t expecting me to shrug my shoulders so casually and admit, “I know he said you’d be reiterating some of my past lessons, but I don’t think I need to be taught that one again.”

This time, Leon uncharacteristically faltered. “What?” Sighing, he figured what I must have been suggesting. “Did Karno influence that?”

“Not really,” I replied honestly, and this time he could see that I was being serious about my answers. “Love isn’t something someone can teach you. It’s something you feel,” I gestured in uncertainty toward my heart. “I… always sort of had this feeling, and I always thought it was just because I resented you. It wasn’t really something I’d ever felt for anyone else and I knew what I felt for you was something unique compared to how I felt about other gods. But then you set me free and let me experience Earth and even came to rescue me from those dark gods! You did everything for me that no one else would have ever done. You gave me these feelings all on your own… So, if that was going to be one of your lessons, I guess you’ve always been a pretty reliable teacher.”

I was being serious. He knew I was being serious. While he’d usually reply with something cocky—or maybe even take a page out of Huedhaut’s book and say something sarcastic or snarky—he didn’t this time. My words left him with a warm and fuzzy sensation in his chest that he never imagined himself capable of feeling. “Of course,” he commented quietly, though I could still hear his soft utterances. “Only someone born into a similar situation as me could stir up these kinds of feelings in me. But you’re right… a feeling isn’t something that can be taught.” He inclined his head with his familiar and renowned smirk. “So then let me invoke more of these feelings… and I can show you everything.”

#star crossed myth #department of wishes #scm leon #star crossed myth fanfic #fanfic #voltage fanfic #zodiac gods

11 notes · View notes